George Stubbs, Fighting Stallions, 1791. The British Sporting Art Trust, bequeathed by Mr Alfred Gates

Review: Caroline Lewis rode to York to see Stubbs and Whistlejacket in York at York City Art Gallery until August 31 2008.

Stubbs and Whistlejacket in York explores the close ties that George Stubbs, so famous for his equestrian artworks, had with the city, and the anatomical studies that made works such as the eponymous Whistlejacket so memorable.

Studying in York for several years during the late 1740s, the artist's own world is brought to mind with illustrations of city landmarks from this period.

It was in York that Stubbs studied anatomy, and developed the scientific mode of analysis that makes his figurative paintings so extraordinarily lifelike.

Dr Gunther Hagen of Bodyworlds fame can eat his heart out; to make his studies of the equine anatomy, Stubbs carried out equally gruesome operations with horse cadavers. He drained the blood out of them, then injected their veins with tallow so they would keep their shape. Using straps and pulleys, he then set them up in walking poses to model for him.

George Stubbs, The Anatomy of the Horse. © The Royal Academy of Arts, London

A group of 12 drawings (1756-58), from a set of 18 based on thus treated specimens are on show in York. Frighteningly detailed anatomical studies, they demonstrate how Stubbs analysed in detail the sinews and bone structure of the dissected animals, stripping them down to expose muscles, veins, and finally the skeleton.

He used these drawings to impart his deep understanding of the noble animal to students at the Royal Academy, and eventually published his definitive work, the Anatomy of the Horse, in 1766.

Not only the bodies, but the wild eyes and spirit of horses exudes from Fighting Stallions (1791), and examples of his non-equine works in the form of two portraits of a spaniel and a pointer perfectly capture a stealthy canine crawl and the following of a scent.

George Stubbs, Whistlejacket, 1762. © National Gallery London

The star work on show is, of course, a life-size portrait of Whistlejacket (1762), who won his most famous race nearly 250 years ago in York. Resplendent and alive, the chestnut stallion rears up on his hind legs, coat gleaming and metal shoes glinting.

Painted against a neutral background, the painting could be mistaken at a glance for a studio photographic portrait. Apparently the racehorse himself tried to attack his likeness when he saw it, thinking it was a real animal. No doubt his owner, the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, was pleased with his 60 guineas' worth of portrait - worth it for a lasting memorial of the horse that won him £2,000 at the York Races in 1759.

Some more contextual works on show evoke the races in York back in Whisteljacket's day, with original race posters and an illustration of the sideshows that took place on this most social of occasions. Members of 18th century society were even treated to public executions alongside the races!

While not a huge exhibition, the works have been well chosen and offer a rare opportunity to see loans from the National Gallery and other collections, in the spacious surroundings of York's main gallery.

Have you been to see the show? Why not let us know what you think?