 The sculpture's theme of struggle between the rational and the bestial, expressed in a mythological setting, was a popular one and not unusual in 19th-century European art.Its execution sets it apart, however, and it is by some considered one of the finest examples of its kind in the late 19th century.It is frequently supposed that Rodin, who was associated with Carrier-Belleuse's studio in the 1870s, contributed to the modeling; the general opinion is that, while the subject matter and the lines of Hippodamia exemplify Carrier-Belleuse's style, the expression and musculature of the centaur suggest Rodin.