GALLERIES

Almost every grandiose historical painting, up until the mid-19th century, had in it at least one charging horse--in what was supposed to be the height of its movement: flying in midair with its legs splayed out in front and behind. Then, with the invention of photography and a series of action photographs made by a man named Edward Muybridge, artists and everyone else learned that a horse's legs never did that. Photography ever since has been a major influence on how people and animals are depicted as moving in art, and a new exhibit at the Musuem of Science investigates this. Called Man and Movement, it deals with the photography of movement from Muybridge's first experiments through the development of the strobe flash, and includes character studies, a slide show and photos from the Watergate hearings. Through March 31.

About a month ago, a friend of mine gave me a book on Jean Dubuffet. I haven't looked at it much, except to notice that he left the price tag on it, and that the stuff shown inside looks very bizarre. At any rate, the Rolly Michaux gallery is showing gouaches, lithographs and aquatints by Dubuflet Calder and Miro (who I'd at least heard of before) through March 21. Calder is mostly known for his mobiles, copies of which have a tendancy to end up in banks. The gallery is at 125 Newbury St. in Boston.

Also around: Paintings and sculpture by New England Women artists at the DeCordova Musuem in Lincoln, through March 30.

Jewelry and Soft Sculpture at the 10 Arrow gallery on Arrow St., through March 29.

An exhibit of American Hooked rugs at the U Mass Bicentennial Exhibition Hall in Boston, through March 30. Prepare yourself for the coming onslaught of exhibits of American memorabilia--the bicentennial officially started last Saturday.