Franz Marc

The Little Yellow Horses, 1912

Among World War I’s innumerable tragedies was the loss of one of my favorite artists, Franz Marc. Marc was born on February 8, 1880, in Munich, Germany and was a pioneer in the birth of abstract art at the beginning of the twentieth-century. Along with Wassily Kandinsky and others he founded the group "Der Blaue Reiter". This group of artists believed in a spontaneous, symbolic, colorful, and especially expressive art. 

Marc had a spiritual view of animals, which is reflected in most of his paintings. These paintings draw me in with the respect and reverence he had for his subjects. His solid forms, beautiful lines, and wonderful use of color are aspects of his work that I have always loved. 

I regularly used two of Marc's paintings when I taught elementary art: The Large Red Horses and Red Dear II.

A shell splinter killed Franz Marc during the Battle of Verdun in 1916.

 Today's Franz Marc Gallery

The Large Red Horses, 1911

Red Deer II. 1912

Cat On Yellow Pillow, 1912

The Yellow Cow, 1911

Foxes, 1913

Dog Lying In The Snow, 1910/11

Two Cats, Blue And Yellow, 1912