The motive is St. Paul's conversion when he was hit by a powerful beam of light on his way to Damascus, dazzled and fell from the horse. The dramatic story of when he sees Christ and his Christian conversion is told in Acts of the Apostles.
Carl Milles' sculpture "St Paul on the road to Damascus" is a sketch of a never-made monument. At this time he was also working on the great well Folkungabrunnen in Linköping and the are similarities between the two. Milles worked with variants on the theme with the man on the horse. Like Folke Filbyter, "St Paul" is also characterized by a contrasting movement, here even more violent and more expressive which runs through the entire sculpture. Milles showed what a master he was at creating a moment and force. When he worked on the horse motifs in the 1920s, he borrowed features from historical equestrian depictions but did so in his own expressive way. He managed to create a strong movement and balance at the same time. The "Flying Horse" is another example where the animal and the movement itself becomes central.
The sculptor Carl Milles dominated Swedish art life for much of the 20th century. He received several orders for monumental public works of art which are located primarily in Sweden and the United States.