By Shya Beth
“Gang of Four”
Polo is often called the sport of kings, which makes it not surprising at all that so many artists throughout the centuries have depicted the sport through their art. With flashes of color and swift lines showcasing the fluid energy and color of polo, Barbara Borck-Hart’s paintings make her stand out among the crowd.
“I was visiting some friends in Wellington, Florida, in 1998, and they invited me and my husband to come to a polo match. That was the first time I’d ever attended a polo match, and it took my breath away,” she said. “The horses were gorgeous, decked out in the team’s colors as they flew past me, turning on a dime with the most grace and skill. With the riders on their backs guiding them and swinging their mallets, they reminded me of the skillful dancers I often etched and painted.”
After the trip, Barbara returned to her studio full of inspiration and excitement about expressing the imagery and explosion of energy on canvas. She’d been a full-time artist for several years, and loved to paint subjects that moved: dancers, circus scenes and horses. Barbara would attend dance classes, not to dance herself but to sit on the floor with her large sketchbook and study the raw movement and energetic flow of the dancers honing their skills. She found the same inspiration and opportunity to cultivate her art skills at horse farms, leaning on the fence with a giant sketchpad and drawing the horses as they went through their paces. Barrel racing scenes soon emerged in her work as she spent more time with Western riders, and she was captivated by the parallel energy she could feel from both the dancers and the horses, which is how her style developed.
Barbara’s adventure into the sport began in 1998 in Greenwich, Connecticut, with her first polo-series exhibit. From there, she was invited to show her paintings at Boca Polo and Palm Beach Polo. It was shortly after her exhibit at Palm Beach Polo that Barbara received a call from the curator of the Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame in Wellington, proposing an exhibit of her work at their 10th Anniversary Event in 2000, a moment Barbara considers to be a highlight of her career.
“Battle Has Begun”
Horses, Art and International Inspiration
With a horse lover for a father and a painter for a mother, there was never a question that Barbara would follow one or the other—but she did something better, combining both into one passion. Barbara’s father would take her and her sister, raised on Long Island, to ride ponies on the weekends at a pony ride stand in the center of town. “That started my love of horses,” Barbara said. “They were so big and soft, and loved me when I brought them treats—carrots and sugar lumps, which they ate out of my hands.”
Barbara started painting at the early age of 6 and knew right then that she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. “There was never any doubt about my decision,” she said. “My mother was an artist who painted at home, covering all our interior walls with figures and trees. All the colors were fun and happy, and I often highlight those same colors in my own polo works.”
“Neck and Neck”
When Barbara was a teenager, her mother enrolled her in art classes at the Junior Museum at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which were her first formal art classes. At age 17, Barbara went on a tour of Europe that only heightened her passion for art. “The Jeu de Paume in Paris had all the impressionists together while the Musée de l’Orangerie was under construction,” she said. “I walked into a small gallery with paintings hung from the ceiling to the floor. It was the first time I had seen Monet’s ‘Haystacks,’ and I had to crawl on my knees to see the painting on the bottom of the wall. While I was doing that, my behind bumped into Degas’ bronze ‘Dancer in the Tutu,’ and I couldn’t believe my eyes! I was there for hours; it was the best part of the journey.”
Today, Barbara travels overseas several times a year, mainly to Spain to visit her son. During these travels there are, of course, side trips to museums and art galleries where she soaks up more inspiration and information. “I love the colors of the impressionists’ art, their playfulness, their delight in the human body. It influences my work to this day as I translate the energy and power of these great, friendly and affectionate animals,” Barbara said. “They’re fun to paint and always moving—I love things that move. Their twists and turns were thrilling to watch and enjoy, and I like to capture that energy and excitement in my artwork. Every time a painting of mine is finished, I want it to be exhibited and seen, so the audience can get to experience the joy and energy that I had in creating it; I hope the joy and happiness can be passed along to the viewer.”
For more information, visit www.barbaraborckhart.com
