Michael Angelo Hayes (1820 - 1877)

Michael Angelo Hayes

Michael Angelo Hayes was an Irish animal and battle painter.

Hayes became best known for large-scale war scenes such as The Lancers Breaking the Square at Aliwal (1846) and The Attack of the Light Dragoons at the Battle of Muddy (1847), where he was able to convey his fascination with depicting the horse in motion.

Hayes spent many years studying with scientific pedantry the movements of the horse in a gallop and eventually published a pamphlet. His work in this area brought significant changes to the technique of depicting horses in painting, which was the subject of much controversy in the mid-nineteenth century. Hayes's innovation made it possible to convey a sense of movement and speed on canvas.