“For Husain, the horse seems to stand for super-human forces, powerful not only for its stampeding arrogance, but because of its greater sophistication. Only sometimes, with a surcharged confidence in man, a hand held aloft or a suggestive lance, matches or halts its force.” (G. Kapur, Husain, Mumbai, 1968, p. 41)

From East to West, throughout history, the horse has been a universal fascination and inspiration for artists. From Chinese terracottas of antiquity and ancient Rome to Leonardo, Gericault and Picasso, the horse has been a perennial muse which has transcended time, circumstance and culture. The relationship between the artist and this revered beast is also profoundly personal, becoming a vehicle of outward expression of both an inner meditation and a universal subject.

Maqbool Fida Husain encountered the equine figure throughout his life and travels across various cultures. Although he acknowledges influences from his travels to countries like China and Italy, the horse also resonates with Husain's admiration for Ancient Greece, a civilization which championed and sanctified the equine form. The Trojan Horse, Pegasus and Alexander's prized Bucephalus keep the company of these iconic stallions which permeate the mythological and historical past of hallowed antiquity. The horse is Husain’s most iconic trope appearing in his work as early as the 1950s. In this early example, this horse is depicted with a wild primordial temperament, a metaphor perhaps for the very nature of art for Husain.

As the artist famously noted, “My horses like lightning, cut across many horizons. Seldom their hooves are shown. They hop around the spaces. From the battlefield of 'Karbala' to Bankura terracotta, from the Chinese Tse pei Hung horse to St. Marco horse, from ornate armoured 'Duldul' to challenging white of 'Ashwamedh' [ ...] the cavalcade of my horses is multidimensional." (Artist statement, Husain, Mumbai, 1987, p. 83)