Christopher Wood left England in 1921 and spent almost the whole of his short artistic career in France. There he received his training as a painter through a brief attendance at the Parisian art schools, but more
importantly through visiting the studios and assimilating the advice of the leading contemporary artists — Picasso and Jean Cocteau.
This is one of two known paintings of jockeys by Wood. Undated, it has previously been assigned the date of 1923. Its stylistic sophistication and assured handling of the medium, however, suggest a later date of
c.1926–27. The thickly textured paint surface, treatment of facial features and emphasis on contour are similar to his works of 1926 such as Nude (private collection) and Jean Bourgoint with Siamese cat (Kettle’s
Yard, University of Cambridge). Wood’s first recorded interest in the subject dates from October 1925, when he was in London at work on designs for a ballet that he hoped would interest Sergei Diaghilev as a production
for the Ballets Russes. Encouraged by Picasso and Cocteau, both of whom had designed for Diaghilev, Wood’s ambition was to be the first English artist to do so. The ballet, called English country life, was to feature
scenes at the race course, and Wood made drawings of jockeys to this end, but the project was abandoned due to lack of support from Diaghilev.
In composition and style The jockey shows the influence of Picasso’s single-figure neoclassical paintings of 1919–24. The jockey’s jacket may be seen as Wood’s version of the harlequin, saltimbanque and matador costumes
of Picasso’s models. Wood was introduced to Picasso in 1923 and described him as ‘the greatest painter of the day’.1 In turn Picasso took an interest in the younger artist, unexpectedly visiting his studio and inviting
Wood to visit him. Picasso gave Wood advice on painting techniques and suggested that he limit his palette to a few colours. The blue, grey, brown, black and white colour scheme, which became Wood’s signature palette,
contributes significantly to The jockey’s elegantly austere beauty. Equally pertinent to the style of The jockey are the drawings of Cocteau, whose elegant linear style is recalled in Wood’s white calligraphic line,
delineating the figure’s contour.
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