Thoroughbreds I Have Known

by Richard Stone, Color (Illustrator)

From the dust "Richard Stone Reeves is without question the greatest painter of Thoroughbred horses in America. He has been commissioned to paint many of the most outstanding runners, stallions, and mares. . .Now for the first time the outstanding examples of Mr. Reeve's work have bee brought together in a sumptuous volume. More than 100 photographs and sketches have been combined with readable text and 52 magnificent plates in full color, to create one of this year's finest art books and a book that every lover of Thoroughbred racing will treasure. . .The artist himself has written an introductory text touching on the high points of his career and explaining his own views of art. . .Pedigrees and racing records for each of the champions portrayed have also been provided." This large book measures approximately 12.5 by 9.5 by 1 inch thick and weighs in at 3 pounds 14 ounces.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Richard Stone is the senior science editor for HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, where he oversees science content for documentaries and other nonfiction productions and manages media partnerships. Prior to joining HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Stone was the international news editor at Science Magazine, where his writing often featured datelines from challenging reporting environments such as Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

Stone’s experience in international science and education includes stints as a Fulbright Scholar at Rostov State University in Russia in 1995-96 and at Kazakh National University in Kazakhstan in 2004-05. As a science writer, he has contributed to Discover, Smithsonian and National Geographic magazines, and is the author of the nonfiction book “Mammoth: The Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant.” Stone earned a B.S. in genetics from Cornell University, and he did graduate work in biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania and science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In his spare time, he enjoys playing squash and writing science fiction screenplays.

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

The late Richard Stone Reeves was a rarity in the art world and in the Thoroughbred racing industry -- a success. He was realistic without resorting to photo-realism. He had clients from both sides of the Pond, and aas very astute at keeping those clients. This was the first book that put together some of Reeves' work. Famous horses portrayed here include Secretariat, Riva Ridge, Native Dancer, Northern Dancer, Kelso, Ribot and Dr. Fager.

Reeves would only do portraits of living horses, so all of these horses were from the 1950s to mid 1970s.

The lengthy introduction was by Whitney Tower, a prominent turf reporter and one time President of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs. The introduction includes long quotes from Reeves, as well as a history of racing art and quotes by such art collectors and racehorse owners as Paul Mellon.

Although Reeves is listed as the author here at Goodreads, the real author was Juno Cole Weyer. If any Boodreads librarian could change that information, that would be just great.

This book's first part, a bio of Reeves, is handicapped by having all of the artwork be in black and white. I know that was to save money, but yikes. It's odd to read about the colors in such-and-such a painting, only to see it in shades of grey. You do get to see some of Reeves' non-equine work and preliminary sketches, with barely legible commentary. Let's just say the Reeves had the handwriting of a genius.

The main part of the book is a collection of his Thoroughbred portraits, this time in glorious, rich color. Each Thoroughbred portrait is accompanied by a brief biography, and sometimes Reeves' comments on how the horse behaved during the posing sessions.

Although best known for his racehorse portraits, Reeves also did show horses and unraced broodmares. Reeves took any requests from owners, such as where the background should be, any particular people or pets in the portrait, or even good luck symbols, such as a single rose on the floor of a horse's stall.

Unfortunately, the portraits in this book are very much the same. Horses are standing or walking. Horses in the background might be grazing. Very rarely do the horses have riders. No action shots here. This is the calm before -- and after -- the storm.

You can currently find this at the Internet Archive.