Who was inspiered by Franz Marc?

Answer 1

The catalogue for Expressive! 2 vividly illustrates the exhibition's power, emotion, and vibrancy, as exuded by the paintings, which comprise the majority of the exhibits. The sheer amount of works amassed3 further render the exhibition striking. In an article written on the occasion of Expressive!, Renato Diez recognises that German Expressionist art is currently fashionable. The surge in prices fetched at auction from c.1997 onwards for German and Austrian Expressionist art is perhaps a consequence of the fact that this type of art is indeed "fashionable".4 Expressive! was one of the most notable exhibitions of 2003 and probably the largest of all the exhibitions based on Expressionist art in recent years. In the past 12 months such exhibitions have included Egon Schiele at the Museo d'Arte Moderna>5 and Il Cavaliere Azzurro 1908-1914: Kandinsky, Marc e i loro Amici (Der Blaue Reiter: Kandinsky, Marc and their Friends) .6 The organisers of Expressive!acknowledge the effect this trend had on their exhibition in terms of the works which they were able to obtain and the direction it took.7

Expressive! is a departure in exhibitions based on Expressionist art since it chose the German and Austrian Expressionists8 of the early 20th century as its pivotal point and not as its sole focus. Its scope was expanded to incorporate the forefathers of Expressionism, including the Greek artist El Greco (1541-1614) and the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-90), through to the expressive work of the contemporary American artist Bruce Nauman (b.1941). Amongst the artists featured in Expressive! one stands out from the rest due to his choice of subject matter and to the sense of calm and beauty emitted by his works: it is the German artist Franz Marc (1880-1916). He is represented in Expressive! by three paintings: Die Kleinen Blauen Pferde (The Small Blue Horses), Zwei Katzen, Blau und Gelb (Two Cats, Blue and Yellow 1911; Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart)9 and Der Hund vor der Welt (The Dog before the World, 1912; Private Collection). The 'Timeline' section of the Web site for Expressive!10 presents key works from the exhibition and includes only one work that features animals: The Small Blue Horses. Moreover, Marc is the only early 20th century artist to be represented in Expressive! entirely by paintings which solely depict animals. Throughout the exhibition catalogue the human figure features more prominently than any other motif, and consequently Marc's work presents itself as a departure for Expressionism. Marc spoke in terms of the "animalisation" of art since he believed so strongly in the possibilities held by the representation of animals. It is this aspect of his oeuvre which I focus on here.

The vibrant colours which characterise paintings by Marc make his work instantly appealing. He is best remembered for his images of animals, especially of horses. As one of the leading figures of the German Expressionists, and co-founder of the group Der Blaue Reiter, his position within the canon of art has been consolidated.

After considering a career as a clergyman and then as a school teacher, Marc focused his attention on painting and in 1900 enrolled at the Kunstakademie München (Munich Art Academy) in Munich. His early work was influenced by the French Impressionists, but it is around 1910 when we begin to see his personal style breaking through. His work from this point onwards is dominated by depictions of animals, which he represented in a stylised manner. It is also around this time that he became friends with the German artist August Macke (1887-1914) with whom he was to subsequently exchange and develop ideas and theories on colour in painting. In 1911, through his membership of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München in Munich, Marc came into contact with the Russian artists Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) and Alexei von Jawlensky (1864-1941), and the German artist Gabriele Münter (1877-1962). By the end of 1911, Marc, Kandinsky, and Münter had resigned from the Neue Künstlervereinigung and Marc and Kandinsky had founded Der Blaue Reiter group, for which they organised two exhibitions (one in 1911 and one in 1912) and produced an almanac in 1912. Both Marc and Kandinsky developed their own theories on colour and both placed a great importance on the spiritual aspect of art. In 1912 Marc came into contact with the Orphist work of the French artist Robert Delaunay (1885-1914) and the work of the Italian Futurists; the influence of both of these styles is evident in Marc's artistic output after this contact. In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War (1914-18) Marc volunteered for military service, and in 1916 was killed in action, at the age of 36.

Depictions of Animals

One of the most important influences on Marc's work, especially in the context of this discussion, is the work and ideas of the Swiss animal painter Jean Bloé Niestlé (1884- 1942), whom Marc met in 1905. It was through this contact and subsequent friendship that Marc was urged by Niestlé to "capture the essence of the animal"11 in his paintings. In Marc's depictions of animals the feeling that is evoked by the subject matter is most important to him. Zoological accuracy is of secondary importance.

In attempting to convey and emphasise the spiritual aspect of his subject matter, Marc often depicted animals in non-naturalistic colours. He developed his own colour theory and symbolism, which equated the three primary colours with qualities and emotions. In its simplest terms, Marc associated blue with masculinity, and red and yellow with femininity since they are more earthy colours, but he also associated yellow with joy and happiness. Blue was viewed by Marc throughout his career to be the most deeply spiritual of the three colours. His decision to apply non-representational colours to animals could perhaps have been an attempt at stepping away from the material world and identifying the need to use non-worldly colours in order to portray the spiritual. In a letter to Macke dating from 1910, Marc states that yellow is associated with femininity and happiness, while red is associated with "matter" and is considered by him in negative terms.12 In the year after this letter was written, Marc produced Gelbe Kuh (Yellow Cow),13 an image of a joyous cow leaping through the air: the impression of happiness and the female subject matter are both underlined here through the application of yellow.

Answer 2

modern french painters influnced him. When he went to Paris he was impressed with all of their work.

Answer 3

Poptty De jugle