Franz Marc (02/08/1880 - 03/04/1916) - German artist and graphic artist, one of the founders art group"Blue Rider" Mark has gained worldwide fame for his colorful, expressionist-style depictions of animals.
Mark was born in Munich into the family of a landscape artist. He grew up in an atmosphere of strict piety and dreamed of becoming a priest.
1900: In search of style. In 1900, Mark began studying at the Munich Art Academy. His early works marked by the influence of the Munich school: landscape paintings made in joyful colors, small parts which are carefully drawn with a thin brush.
In Paris, Franz Marc became acquainted with the work of the Impressionists, which led (1903) to a change in Marc's artistic views. He left the academy and approached impressionism in his painting style, working with light, energy-emitting colors, which he applied with wide, careless strokes.
In 1905, melancholic and often under the influence of another mental crisis, Mark met the artists Marie Schnur and Maria Frank. Although he loved Maria Frank, he still married (1907) Marie Schnur. A year later, their union broke up, and Shnyur, despite the initial agreement, filed a claim for compensation from Mark for damages from the divorce, thereby preventing her wedding ex-husband with Frank. During a summer stay in Lenggries in 1908, Mark painted his first painting of a horse. He was still in search of his own language of forms. The image was reduced to isolating the main thing and was characterized by the rhythmic direction of the strokes, although the color palette remained naturalistically complete.
1910: Color Theory. In correspondence with his friend August Macke, Mark developed his own theory of color, according to which each of the three primary colors was characterized by individual properties: blue represented "masculine, spiritual and ascetic essence", yellow - " feminine, tenderness and joys of life"; red personified matter as such and therefore was "rough and heavy", being in opposition to the previous two. One of the first paintings in which he embodied his theory of color relationships was "Horse against the background of a landscape "(1910).
1911-1913: Famous animal painter. Animals in Mark’s eyes were carriers of such qualities as beauty, purity and loyalty, which he no longer hoped to find in the human environment. When drawing animals, Mark did not strive to capture them through human eyes, but rather imagined himself in their place. Thus, in the painting “Roe Deer in the Forest II” (1912), the viewer sees a roe deer curled up in the foreground, feeling safe, while figures in the background are preparing to attack. Among the others famous works This period includes the paintings "Blue Horse I", "Yellow Cow", "Little Blue Horses" (all - 1911), as well as "Tiger" (1912).
1911: "The Blue Rider". In 1911, Mark joined the "New Association of Artists of Munich", to which Wassily Kandinsky also belonged. In the same year, Kandinsky and Mark began work on an almanac, in which, according to their plan, the paintings were to be collected different cultures and articles about artists. Tensions within the Association forced Mark and Kandinsky to leave the group and create their own, which they called “The Blue Rider”. They defined their artistic goal as “the combination of pure color with pure form.”
1912: The Path to Abstraction. After the publication of the anthology “The Blue Rider” (1912), Mark became interested in abstract painting: animals are often presented in the form of formulas that need to be deciphered. Impressed by an exhibition of works by Italian futurists, Mark began to subordinate color to an intricate jumble of planes.
The motif of the painting was subjected to a quasi-prismatic decomposition into geometric forms (“Roe deer in the monastery garden”, 1912; “The Fate of the Beast”, 1913; “Stables”, 1913/14). At the same time, he worked on “The Tower of the Blue Horse” (finished in 1913), which became his last creation in honor of the animal world. Subsequently, Mark turned exclusively to abstract painting. In four so-called “form paintings” (1914), due to the appropriate relative position of form and color, he doubles the feeling of either idyll and harmony, or struggle and decline. Immediately after the outbreak of the First World War, Mark volunteered for the front, expecting that the war would bring cleansing and renewal to society. In 1916 he died near Verdun (France) at the age of 36.
Expressionist paintings have always fascinated and surprised art lovers. This movement appeared at the end of the 19th century, but reached its greatest prosperity at the beginning of the 20th. The most prominent representatives of this trend were born in Austria and Germany. Franz Marc was no exception. He, along with other creators, tried to express in his paintings his view of the deformities of civilization that were caused by the events of the 20th century, in particular the First World War.
Birth
Franz Marc was born in 1880. His father was also an artist, which directly influenced him future fate. Despite the fact that in his youth he dreamed of becoming a priest, already at the age of 20 he decided to pay attention to art.
Education
The painter lived a short life. The Academy of Arts became his home, where he studied and became acquainted with impressionism and post-impressionism. Then this place was a kind of abode of world creativity. The Munich Academy of Arts gathered under its roof future famous artists. Hackl and Dietz studied next to Franz. Although they became famous, they still could not catch up with Mark.
The young artist tried not to sit still, but to study art not only in his own country. This explains where he became acquainted with French trends in art. Here he could see the creations of the great Van Gogh and Gauguin.
The painter's second trip to Paris influenced the themes of his future creations. Returning to Munich, he began to study animal anatomy in depth in order to depict his view of nature in his paintings.
"Blue Rider"
The "New Munich Art Association" attracted the attention of Franz after meeting August Macke. Then, in 1910, he decided to be part of this organization. Long time he could not meet the head of the community, Wassily Kandinsky. A year later they finally met. After 10 months, the artists Kandinsky, Macke and Franz decided to create their own organization, “The Blue Rider”.
They were immediately able to organize an exhibition where Franz presented his works. Then the Tanhauser gallery collected the best German paintings expressionists. And a trio of Munich painters worked to promote their society.
Cubism and the last years of life
The last stage of Franz Marc's life can be considered his acquaintance with the work of Robert Delaunay. His Italian cubism and futurism contributed significantly to the future works of the German painter. Towards the end of his life, Mark changed direction in his work. His canvases depicted increasingly abstract details, ragged and blocky elements.
Inspired many creators of art and literature in their works. But over time, the creators became disillusioned with the events and realities of the war. Franz Marc voluntarily went to the front. There he is, like many others creative people, was disappointed in the events. He was hurt by the bloodshed, the grisly scenes and the sad outcome. But the artist was not destined to return and realize all his creative ideas. At the age of 36, the painter died from a shell fragment near Verdun.
Canvases and style
Life influences the artist, his creativity and style. Changes also occurred with Franz, which poured new colors into his canvases. The German was by nature a dreamer. He suffered for humanity and was sad for the lost values in modern world. In his paintings he tried to depict something fantastic, peaceful, beautiful, but the naked eye can see that each canvas was filled with melancholy.
Writers and artists of the early 20th century tried to find and recreate the golden age, but the war turned everything into a pile of rubble, and creative people tried to heal the wounds. In his works, Franz Marc tried to reflect, first of all, the philosophical principle. Moreover, everything that was depicted in the paintings mattered. Each color was given its own symbols, each item was endowed with something special. Colors and shapes influenced the human psyche, his mood and self-values.
"Blue Horse"
Franz Marc has always had a special approach to creating his paintings. “The Blue Horse” has become something symbolic in the painter’s work. This picture is the most popular among the others. In addition, along with others, it stands out with a special style. Just one look at her brings a person into a state of fascination and piercingness.
The painting depicts a horse that is full of strength. It symbolizes a young man. The horse's body has somewhat broken shapes and an interesting overexposure. It’s as if a white ray is piercing the chest, and the mane and hooves, on the contrary, are shrouded in blue.
The fact that the horse's color is blue is of unusual interest. But it is worth noting the equally attractive background. Bottom line: the horse complements the background, and the background complements the knight. According to the artist’s plan, these two objects cannot exist separately; they are interconnected and are one whole, although they stand out from each other.
After the creation of this painting, Franz tried to explain his idea to Mack. He claimed that Blue colour- this is the severity of a man, yellow - female softness and sensuality, red - matter, which is suppressed by the two previous shades.
"Birds"
Another picture is worthy of your attention. It was also written by Franz Marc. "Birds" is another one special job artist. It was written in 1914 and became the first unusual work that characterized a new style painter. This is a picture from that very mature painting of Mark, which became a reflection of the animal world. The artist felt that animals were the very ideal, which were much higher and purer than people.
“Birds” is the same style that appeared after. A similar picture, despite its bright colors, emphasizes some kind of anxiety and hostile attitude. Most likely, this is due to sharp transitions from one shade to another. The picture becomes poignant and apocalyptic.
Looking at the canvas, it seems that some kind of explosion is happening, which excites and disturbs the birds. They scatter and at the same time remain calm. When the world is overtaken by war, some begin to fuss, while others try to accept the situation. "Birds" became a clear reflection of the military world with its fears and anxieties.
Historical reference:
For the first time in history, a blue horse was depicted in the fresco "Athletes and Rider" in the "Tomb of Chariots" in 490 BC.
Having become acquainted with the biography of the German artist Franz Marc, you will understand why the horses in his paintings are multi-colored, where the name of the artistic group he organized came from, and how the color theory he invented was constructed.
Franz Mark
Franz Marc
August Macke Portrait of Franz Marc 1910
Franz Marc Self-Portrait with Breton Hat 1905
A German artist who combined the features of symbolism and expressionism in his work, one of the founders of the Blue Rider group.
Mark's main theme, to which he gave a mystical symbolic meaning, - an image of animals in their surrounding nature. His ecstatic images, marked by the dynamics of forms, sharp contour patterns, intense colors (several primary colors), reflected a spontaneous rejection of modern reality and a premonition of future social upheavals.
Born into the family of an artist - professional landscape painter Wilhelm Mark. I dreamed of becoming a priest.
In 1899, Mark entered the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Munich, but did not return there after serving in the army.
In 1900 he turned to art and from 1900 to 1903 studied at the Munich Academy of Arts with G. Hackl and W. Dietz. However history painting, which was emphasized in the academy, as well as the naturalism it implanted, were not interesting to the artist.
Photos by F. Mark
Having visited Paris (first in 1903, then in 1907 and 1912), he was influenced French impressionism and post-impressionism. Here he discovered great artists - Cezanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Their work made a deep impression on the young painter. Van Gogh was especially close to him in spirit. After his second trip to Paris, the artist began to seriously study the anatomy of animals in order to most fully realize his vision of nature in painting.
Horses in the pasture 1910
In his early works he retained a traditional, more naturalistic palette, although he strived for rhythmic generalizations of forms in the spirit of symbolism; from 1908 the leitmotif of his painting became the image of a horse against the background of a conventional landscape.
Blue horses 1911
Blue horse 1911
Blue horse 1911
To make the animals in his paintings as harmonious as possible, Franz tried to look at the world through their eyes. He even once wrote a text entitled “How does a horse see the world?” The rejection of natural color enhanced the impact of the paintings on viewers. This method was also used French artists- Fauvists, but they did it for the sake of decorativeness, and Mark, as he himself argued, in order to enhance the significance of the animal.
His personal life is not going well. He's worried torturous romance with artist Anette von Eckardt. His marriage to Maria Shnyur, concluded out of compassion, ends in failure. All this makes him look for an outlet in the “primitive” world of animals.
Two horses 1911-12
Shepherds 1911-12
Dreams 1912
At the same time, towards the end of the 1910s, in correspondence with his friend, the artist A. Macke, he developed his own theory of color, where he gave each of the primary colors a special spiritual meaning(blue embodied for him the “masculine” and “ascetic” principles, yellow – the “feminine principle” and “joys of life”, red – the oppression of “rough and heavy” matter).
Yellow horses 1912
Red and blue horses 1912
Long Yellow Horse 1913
In 1911 he joined the New Munich artistic association", where Wassily Kandinsky played the leading role. In the same year, Mark and Kandinsky left the association, founding the Blue Rider group and releasing (in 1912) an almanac of the same name, decorated with their engravings and drawings. In an interview in 1930, Kandinsky explained why such a name arose: both founders loved the color blue, in addition, Mark loved horses, and Kandinsky loved racing.
From December 1911 to January 1912, the editors of the almanac opened an exhibition of paintings by V. Kandinsky, F. Marc, A. Macke and others at the Tanhauser Gallery in Munich, which became the front of German expressionism, which marked the beginning of the Blue Rider association.
Two horses. Red and blue. 1912
Blue horse 1912
In 1912, he met Robert Delaunay, whose style, along with Italian futurism and cubism, became the next source of inspiration for the artist. The master’s mature paintings are dedicated to animals, presented as higher, purer creatures in relation to man, who seemed too ugly to Mark. Among the characteristic paintings of this kind, with their smooth rhythms and bright and at the same time dramatic color contrasts, are Red Horses (1910–1912, Folkwang Museum, Essen). Under the influence of Italian futurism, the artist began to decompose forms into component planes, making his images more dynamic (The Fate of Animals, 1913, Art Museum, Basel). The apocalyptic mood inherent in these things reached its apogee in his last large animalistic painting, “The Tower of Blue Horses” (1913).
Tower of Blue Horses 1913
Mark then moved on to abstract painting, seeking to express the main motives of his work in compositions combining pure colorful and linear effects (1914).
With all his being, Franz Marc was against the war, but there was no question of emigration or evasion of military duties. After the outbreak of the First World War, he volunteered for the front. In letters to his mother, the artist predicted his death on the battlefield. And indeed, he died on March 4, 1916 in the battle of Verdun, which lasted almost six months and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Mark was killed by a shell fragment during the Verdun operation, at the age of 36, without fully realizing his creative plans.
Two blue horses 1913
Blue colts 1913
Sleeping horses 1913
After Mark’s death, friends organized his exhibitions in Berlin, and in the 20s they collected and published the artist’s statements about art. Under fascism, Mark's works were removed from museums.
Materials from WIKIPEDIA and the site:
http://www.odessapassage.com/passage/magazine_details.aspx?id=36397
Vladimir Novikov Blue horse 2006
Franz Marc. 1880-1916
German expressionist and symbolist artist. Organizer of the Blue Rider group.
German artist with Jewish roots Franz Moritz Wilhelm Mark was born on February 8, 1880 in Munich in the family of lawyer Wilhelm Mark, who was interested in landscape painting. At an early age, the future artist thought about theology, wanting to devote himself to religious activities, then he felt an attraction to philosophy, entering the corresponding faculty at the university in 1899, but by 1900 he realized that his calling was art. The realization of the dream began with entry into the Munich Academy of Arts.
Studying at the academy was useful professionally, but was depressing by traditional approaches to the teaching system, and with a visit to Paris in 1903, Mark felt the atmosphere of a true triumph of art, discovering impressionism, the splendor of the works of ancient masters collected in the Louvre, as well as Japanese print with its linear decorativeness. Looking for own style and subjects there was a fascination with modernity.
A second trip to Paris, made in 1907, prompted Mark to study the anatomy of animals, which could help realize his creative vision: to convey the essence of nature through animal world; already in his childhood, Mark saw imperfection in people, and believed that the purity of animals is due to their natural “unreasonableness,” and the “dirtiness” of thinking beings is due to the destructive influence of civilization. The sketch for the tapestry “Orpheus and the Beasts” is the first test presented to the public, where the author tried to “remember” the forgotten earthly paradise and show the animals in their original form, with their submission to the will of the Creator.
After 1908, the subjects of Mark's works increasingly replete with images of a horse against the backdrop of a landscape, and by 1910, signs appeared in his paintings indicating an unbalanced state of mind, which was largely caused by failures in relationships with women. At the beginning of the same year, he had his first meeting with the expressionist August Macke, and in September, in Munich, he joined the association of artists of this style, but at the end of 1911, with some like-minded people, he left the group, and together with Kandinsky he organized “The Blue Rider”. This year is also significant for Mark with the creation of the painting “Three Red Horses,” the first completed work written in his unique “animal” style.
Despite his participation in the “Blue Rider” exhibition in 1911, the artist’s work differs from the works of his fellow expressionists; he does not want to introduce intense exaltation into the color and form of his paintings, and maintains a romantic line in search of the ideal and inner harmony.
In 1913, in an intuitive premonition of grandiose and tragic military events, Mark painted paintings filled with disturbing motifs; his painting became more abstract and torn. In the lost painting “Tower of Blue Horses,” the image of a horse, traditionally harmonious in his works, represents a link in a structure lacking stability, with collapsing forms; In the apocalyptically prophetic work “The Fate of Animals” - one of his most famous works, Mark’s alarming moods reached their climax.
Abstract painting captured the artist in 1914, in Last year his creative path. The dynamics of the development of his painting style during this period indicated the erasure of the threshold of reality, and it was noticeable that there was a confident movement in the direction of abstract art.
The battle of Verdun did not give Franz Marc the opportunity to implement his creative plans, and on March 4, 1916, he died with the conviction that he was participating in a war that could bring spiritual renewal not only to himself, but also to the German intelligentsia. Death was caused by a shell fragment fired from a gun belonging to the country whose art struck in him the strings that made him a true artist.
2014-08-27Artist Franz Marc - friend and like-minded person
Wassily Kandinsky, "Blue Rider"
German expressionism.
“My age, my beast,
who can
Look into your pupils
And with his blood he will glue
Two centuries of vertebrae?
These lines by Osip Mandelstam are like an epigraph to the work, and indeed to the entire life, of Franz Marc. The turn of the century divided the short life of the German artist almost in half: he was born in 1880, and died in 1916 at the front, in the battle of Verdun. Franz Marc was among those masters who glued the vertebrae of two centuries together with the blood of their creativity: the path from the Post-Impressionist painting that ended the 19th century to abstract art The 20th century was driven by expressionism, and Mark was its key figure. He was one of the Europeans who seemed not to notice the demarcation of countries on the eve of the First World War: together with Wassily Kandinsky, Mark became the founder of the legendary association “Blue Rider” - creative union Russians and German artists. Franz Marc was devoted to one topic: he drew and painted animals. Looking into the pupils of the beast, beautiful and free, he looked for answers to the questions of his time and to eternal questions of all times. Simple stories his works seem idyllic: beautiful animals living among virgin nature. But the closer the war was, which broke the backbone of the century, the more clearly one felt the melancholy in the eyes of his animals and the doom in the bends of their bodies.
Franz Mark. Red deer. 1912 G.
Franz Marc's life was developing quite well: he did not know such troubles that darkened the existence of many artists, such as misunderstanding of loved ones, lack of recognition, loneliness, and poverty. He was born in Munich, which at that time was one of cultural capitals Europe, in an intelligent family of hereditary lawyers. Franz's father - Wilhelm Mark - cheated family tradition and became an artist. His landscapes and genre paintings enjoyed success in their time; on one of them we see fifteen-year-old Franz making something out of wood.
Wilhelm Mark. Portrait of Franz Marc. 1895
Having received an excellent gymnasium education, Franz planned to study theology at the University of Munich. For a thoughtful, sensitive young man it seemed a good choice, but after passing military service he changed his plans, deciding to become an artist. From 1900 to 1903, Mark was a diligent student of the Munich Academy of Arts, until he came to Paris and saw with his own eyes the paintings of Manet and Cezanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh. After fresh Parisian impressions, the stagnant academic atmosphere became unbearable for Mark. After leaving the walls of the academy, he rented a workshop in the Munich quarter of Schwabing and began working independently.
Schwabing was the center of bohemian life, where exciting acquaintances were quickly made. Mark experienced a stormy affair that led him to depression with a married lady, artist Anette von Eckardt, and found himself in a painful situation. love triangle, torn between two Marias, also artists - Maria Shnyur and Maria Frank. He married the beautiful and independent Maria Shnyur in 1907, but almost immediately realized his mistake. This marriage, which soon became formal, did not allow him to legitimize his relationship with Maria Frank until 1911. Outwardly, they did not seem to be a very suitable couple - Franz, a sophisticated intellectual with noble features, and the round-faced Maria with a rough peasant face. But it was she, warm-hearted and open, who became the woman of his life.
Franz Mark. Two cats. 1909
Both Marys are depicted in the small sketch “Two Women on the Mountain” (1906). This is one of the artist’s few works that depict people. In almost all of his paintings, watercolors and engravings we see animals: deer, bulls, cows, cats, tigers, monkeys, foxes, wild boars, but most often horses. He fell in love with them forever during his military service.
Mark, an excellent draftsman, had a special talent for depicting animals. In addition, he specially studied the anatomy of animals, his reference book was “The Life of Animals” by A. Brem, he spent whole days in the zoo, watching animals and making sketches. In all the artist's works, be it pencil sketch or a complex pictorial composition, an early realistic painting or an expressionistic painting, we unmistakably recognize the characteristic behavior of the animal: the fragile grace of a roe deer, the springy energy of a tiger, the impetuosity of a restless monkey, the slowness of a massive bull, the proud stature of a horse.
Franz Mark. Cats on red drapery 1909 -1910
However, it is impossible to call Franz Marc an animalist: the beast was not a realistic “nature” for him, but a supreme being, a symbol of natural, pure, perfect and harmonious existence. The literary gifted artist eloquently expressed his creative credo in articles and letters to friends: “My goals do not lie primarily in the field of animal art. /…/ I’m trying to strengthen my sense of the organic rhythm of all things, I’m trying to pantheistically feel the trembling and flow of blood in nature, in the trees, in the animals, in the air.” The “animal” vision of the world seemed to him to be something like a window into the natural kingdom inaccessible to humans: “Is there anything more mysterious for an artist than the reflection of nature in the eyes of an animal? How do a horse or an eagle, a roe deer or a dog see the world? How poor and soulless is our idea of placing animals in the landscape that our eyes see, instead of penetrating into their souls.”.
August Macke. Portrait of Franz Marc. 1910
Many circumstances had a beneficial effect on the development of Franz Marc's style. These were trips to Paris in 1907 and 1912, where he came into contact with the art of his contemporaries, the Fauvists and Cubists, among whom Robert Delaunay was especially close to him. This was the friendship that began in 1910 with the young German expressionist August Macke, who for the few remaining years of life for both of them (twenty-seven-year-old Macke died at the front in 1914) became his like-minded person.
Munich, 1911. From left - Maria Mark and Franz Mark,
in the center is Wassily Kandinsky.
Marc's talent fully blossomed in the circle of artists who were united in 1911 by the "Blue Rider" - a community whose soul was Wassily Kandinsky and himself, Franz Marc. “The Blue Rider is the two of us,” Kandinsky later said. Together, having arrogated to themselves, in Kandinsky’s words, “dictatorial powers,” they prepared exhibitions of “The Blue Rider” and together edited the almanac of the same name. Even the appearance of the name “The Blue Rider,” which, as Kandinsky recalled, was born at a coffee table, testifies to the ease of mutual understanding between the two artists: “ We both loved blue, Mark - horses, I - riders. And the name came by itself.” (Just like Kandinsky, Mark attached symbolic meaning to color: blue meant for him masculinity, firmness and spirituality.) Kandinsky’s powerful personality in no way suppressed Mark. On the contrary, his individual style at the time of their collaboration, it developed very dynamically: moving from expressionism to abstraction, Mark kept pace with European art.
Franz Mark. Blue horse.1911
Let's compare three paintings by Mark, which have become classics of German expressionism and were written about a year apart - “Blue Horse” (1911), “Tiger” (1912) and “Foxes” (1913). Looking at the canvas “Blue Horse”, you understand that the artist’s words about the “organic rhythm of all things” are not theorizing, but a deep, genuine feeling. The figure of the horse, the landscape and the plant in the foreground are united by a wave-like rhythm: the arc motif is clearly repeated in the outlines of the mountains, in the silhouette of the animal and in the bends of the leaves. Occupying the entire canvas in height, painted from below and therefore towering above the viewer, the figure of a horse is majestic and monumental, like a statue of the deity of these mountains. There is a lot characteristic of Mark in the picture - bright fantastic colors, lack of air environment, dense filling of the canvas.
Franz Mark. Tiger.1912
If in “The Blue Horse” the generalized figure of the animal retains the integrity of the form, and the alpine landscape remains recognizable, then in “The Tiger” Mark more tangibly transforms the real image. The contours of the tiger's figure are outlined in rapid zigzags and broken lines, and the surface of the body is divided into triangles and trapezoids. The artist seems to expose the muscles hidden under the skin of the animal, revealing the structure of the animal’s body. The rich background of the picture, consisting of a pile of complexly intersecting planes, partly continues and repeats the lines set in the figure of the animal, so that the tiger seems to be an integral part of the environment, and does not dominate it, like a blue horse. This background is, in fact, pure abstraction, although, of course, one can imagine that the artist depicted thickets in which a tiger was hiding, lying in wait for its prey.
In the painting “Foxes” we see a complete interpenetration of forms, blurring the line between the animal and its environment. It seems that the artist is “cutting” the figures of two foxes into fragments and mixing them together like pieces of a puzzle. At the same time, one clearly drawn detail - the narrow muzzle of a fox with a characteristic slope - sets the theme of the painting and connects the almost abstract canvas with reality. These formal searches had a serious spiritual meaning for Mark: he was looking for a way from appearance things (“the appearance is always flat”) to their inner essence and saw the purpose of art in “the revelation of the unearthly life that secretly resides in everything, in the destruction of the mirror of life in order to look into the face of existence.”
Franz Mark. The fate of animals. 1913
In Mark’s works, the natural world appears whole and conflict-free; there is no opposition between predators and their victims; he never depicts hunting scenes, the suffering of animals, and extremely rarely, dead animals. All the more significant was the appearance of the painting “The Fates of Animals,” painted in 1913 - the last pre-war year. The subtitle “Trees show their rings, and animals show their veins” emphasizes the tragic idea of the canvas: only felled trees expose their rings, only dead animals expose their insides. The forest thicket appears in the picture as a symbol of the hidden world of nature, which is destroyed and perishes under the pressure of an unknown formidable force. In the apocalyptic chaos we discern predatory red flashes and rays, falling trunks, restless horses, frightened deer huddled together, wild boars seeking shelter, and in the center of the canvas - as the personification of an innocent victim - a blue doe raising its head to the sky.
Franz Mark. Drawing from a front notebook
This requiem painting, which became a prophecy of the coming war, is one of the last major works Mark, in which he retained a connection with figurative painting. In 1914, he managed to write several abstract compositions (“Tirol”, “Fighting Forms”) and, obviously, stood on the threshold of a new stage in his work. However, in the front-line notebook, Mark, next to the abstractions, still drew deer and his favorite horses. It is impossible to say for sure what the artist’s fate would have been like if he had survived the “Verdun meat grinder.” In the history of art of the 20th century, Franz Marc forever remained a swift rider, galloping on the free blue horse of expressionism.
Marina Agranovskaya
