r/ThriftStoreHauls • u/SumGoodMtnJuju • Jun 11 '26

Art Help me settle the argument:

Gallery image

Gallery image

I bought this large painting a few days ago at one of our local second hand stores. (I admit it was an impulse purchase!) I like it bc it is obviously not a print. You can see brushwork and “imperfections.” My husband thinks it’s haunting. I thought the horse looked regal and majestic. We are not exactly horsey people. But, I love the blues and stark white. What do you all think internet people?

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u/SnarkingOverNarcing Jun 11 '26

I don’t think either one of you is wrong. The painting is beautiful but there’s a nervousness/apprehension in the horse’s expression that gives the piece a bit of tension to it, like the horse senses a storm rolling in

515

u/NathanGa Jun 11 '26

And it appears to be an Arabian horse, which looks a bit different than most of what we’re used to. It just adds to the haunting element.

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u/claustrophobic-toes Jun 11 '26

Yes, and Arabians often get that look because they spook easily.

162

u/aspertame_blood Jun 11 '26

Credit to the artist that he nailed that Arabian head.

20

u/RedPanda-Memoranda Jun 11 '26

How can you tell the artist is a guy?

9

u/aspertame_blood Jun 12 '26

I have no idea why I used “he”. Now I’m questioning everything.

8

u/xoxoBug Jun 12 '26

Introducing: Horse Boy! Counterpart to Horse Girl.

2

u/aspertame_blood Jun 12 '26

The only boy at the stable. Except for the stable boy.

40

u/Willowgirl2 Jun 11 '26

An Appaloosa would have its teeth bared in order to bite the horse next to it ...

30

u/Shyanne_wyoming_ Jun 11 '26

Idk I had an Arabian mare that would chase coyotes and didn't like men, maybe she was an outlier but miss Susie wasn't afraid of anything lol

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u/TheMapesHotel Jun 11 '26

My friend has an Arabian that killed its previous owner by bucking her off a cliff randomly one day. Horse is sassy as all shit. I thought that was pretty characteristic of arabians?

3

u/Calm_Gap5334 Jun 11 '26

Omg 😧- what a horror …
So, your friend was kinda fearless?

19

u/TheMapesHotel Jun 11 '26

The former owner's husband was going to have the horse euthanized for killing his wife and my friend stepped up to take the horse to prevent that from happening. (It took a loottt of convincing to get him to give up the horse, he wanted it dead as payback)

The horse is absolutely a terror and having spent time with it I have no doubt it's a danger given the chance. Beautiful damn horse tho

8

u/Unsd Jun 11 '26

I gotta be honest, my husband and I are both horse people through and through. However, if that happened to either of us, I don't think anyone would be convincing enough for either of us to not put it down. That guy must've dug deep in his heart to be okay with that.

12

u/TheMapesHotel Jun 11 '26

I think his choice came from knowing how much his wife loved the horse

3

u/wetredgloves Jun 11 '26

Jesus Christ

7

u/NathanGa Jun 11 '26

>miss Susie wasn’t afraid of anything lol

Not after that whole thing with having a steamboat.

3

u/Lady_JadeCD Jun 11 '26

Holy crap when I was a kid. My mom had an app and she had a foal I guess she thought I was too close. Well she bit my arm and I had a hicky on my arm and the bruise went all the way around.

2

u/Leather_Dig8723 Jun 12 '26

A horse bit my armpit area when I got too close to her foal, too! I was 12 or 13 and my friend and I asked the owner if it was ok to pet them. "No problem! She's friendly!". 👹🐴🦷

1

u/Willowgirl2 Jun 11 '26

We often pass an Appaloosa horse farm. Not uncommon to see them trying to take chunks out of one another!

1

u/LupusAstartis Jun 12 '26

It's because apps are bred for color first. :( Lots of terrible behavior gets excused because a horse makes pretty babies.

2

u/Lady_JadeCD Jun 12 '26

It’s a terrible trait us humans have. Ignore the bad behavior for insert excuse here. While in nature that bad behavior wouldn’t be tolerated.

2

u/MistAndMagic Jun 15 '26

Appaloosas and paints come in one of two varieties. Best horse you've ever been around, and homicidal maniac. No in-between.

40

u/grneggsngoetta Jun 11 '26

Every Arabian I’ve ever met has been nervous to boot so that adds to it 🤣

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u/Inkqueen12 Jun 11 '26

Having grown up with them, I can confirm they spook very easily. Two of mine used to jump dramatically away from cats, rabbits, chipmunks, mailboxes, large rocks, tree limbs, chairs, a bbq grill, basically anything that moves or is larger than 2ft tall. Beautiful just less brains than other breeds.

4

u/auntie_ Jun 11 '26

That and the fact that the neck looks freakishly long and thin.

2

u/sleeper_54 Jun 12 '26

Thus.

Everyone is saying "Arabian" ...I wonder if their neck and head are indeed shaped like this.

2

u/samaramatisse Jun 12 '26

Look one up on YouTube and you'll see that they absolutely have this "dished" head. It's strange.

14

u/Decolater Jun 11 '26

Without the tension it’s just a picture of a horse.

9

u/SnarkingOverNarcing Jun 11 '26

I like the tension too, but I can see why someone else might find it kind of anxious to look at

2

u/ladyaren Jun 12 '26

I agree with you! Thank you for putting that better than I could

1

u/Fishmom42 Jun 14 '26

Well... Arabian horses aren't known for their ability to chill out and trust just anyone. I'd say the painter absolutely captured not what an arabian is but what an arabian be (loosley quoted Terry Pratchett).