Takhi	Patricia Pepin
2009	Bromont QC Canada
Oil on board, 13x18"	patriciapepin.com
The Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), named "takhi" in Mongolia, became extinct in the wild in the 1960s, but individuals captured around 1900 and placed in zoos were preserved and have saved the species. Thanks to careful breeding programs the takhi is once again galloping free in the Mongolian wilderness. Takhi reminds me of the cave paintings of Lascaux, France, where one painting in particular is strikingly similar to this horse. I inspired myself from the prehistoric paintings to create my own, and found that these seemingly primitive depictions where extremely accurate and required real talent and knowledge of the subject. The individual in this painting is a member of a small herd in the Toronto zoo.