Franz Marc, 1880-1916

ArtistDer Blaue Rider Expressionist

Horse in a landscape, 1910The horse in this painting seems to want to run across the field.

The Large Blue Horses, 1911 “Animals, with their sense of life, awakened all that was good in me.”

-Franz Marc

Grazing Horses IV (The Red Horses), 1911“ Dissatisfaction with my work forces me to think.”

-Franz Marc

Little Yellow Horses, 1912What qualities did Marc associate with each of the primary colors?

He saw blue as soulful, yellow as joyful, and red as symbolizing earth and the material world.

Tiger, 1912‘Is there a more mysterious thing for an artist than to imagine how

nature is reflected in the eyes of an animal?”-Franz Marc

Deer in the Woods, 1912“It is the doe that feels, therefore the landscape must be ‘doe-like’.”-Franz Marc

The Unfortunate Land of Tyrol, 1913“Everything has appearance and essence, mask and truth.”

-Franz Marc

Franz Marc, 1880-1916

This photo of Marc was taken in 1913.

For Marc, who wanted to create a new kind of art, animals were the perfect subjects. They seemed to live in the moment

and have a direct connection with nature.