Horse I by MF Husain

This serigraph from M. F. Husain’s iconic Horse Series shows why his works are unforgettable. The vibrant colours in red, blue, green and the burning yellow sun are not decoration but pure energy, radiating urgency and movement. Husain’s bold, unbroken lines carve the horses as if in one breath, alive with immediacy.

The horses rear, charge and collide, their bodies twisting in impossible directions. They are not just graceful animals but symbols of raw energy, freedom and unstoppable spirit. At the centre, the circular sun intensifies this force. It feels as though the horses orbit it, pulled by its gravity yet breaking free at the same time.

Husain returned to the horse again and again because for him it was more than a motif. It carried the strength, movement and eternal spirit of life itself. To the common man, these horses were not abstract forms but living metaphors for life’s momentum. Even today they remain among the most celebrated images of modern Indian art.