I find it fascinating that primitive horse themes were so popular in the 50s and 60s. Why? To be sure, there was a sense of internationalism about modern interiors. Did these horse motifs evolve from Spain…or the prehistoric cave painting in Lascaux, France (at left) – as this 1959 interior (above) seems to clearly reference? Does this all start with Picasso? And, the horses are also very associated with the Danish Modern movement. Wherever the idea came from, they are wonderful.

Additional posts on international influences:

• On Chinese ancestor paintings
• On all things retro Roman
• An Asian Tiki timeline

A RetroRenovation re-run: This post originally ran on Feb. 26, 2008

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