Blue Horses by Franz Marc (Interpretation and Analysis)

Blue Horses
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Among the art produced in the early twentieth century, Franz Marc’s work was among the most distinctive in both style and subject matter in Western Europe. Marc was one of the leaders of the Expressionist movement, which has its roots in the Romantic and Symbolist styles. Like Romanticism, Expressionism seeks to depict a psychological landscape; it aims to portray the emotional reality of either the subject or the artist.

The most important aspect of Expressionism is the emotion the paintings represent and evoke; it is through these emotions that the artists work to convey a sense of authenticity. Franz Marc achieved this through brightly colored painting animals, his preferred subjects.

Although Marc created hundreds of paintings of animals throughout his career, horses were one of his favorite subjects. Marc believed that horses were more human-like than other animals, and, consequently, he approached his horse paintings with great nuance and sensitivity.

Blue Horses is one of his best-known horse paintings. It depicts three horses standing amongst a colorful backdrop of rolling, red hills. Marc was known for his complex visual language, which included an advanced system of color symbolism. In Marc’s paintings, the color red represents inanimate matter and violence, while blue (the color of the horses) represents masculine energy and spirituality. Furthermore, most art historians agree that the rounded, spiral shapes embedded in the forms of the horses represent harmony, peace, and inner balance.

Taken together, these symbols create an image of an inner world, a rich, spiritual landscape that transcends everyday life. In this painting, Marc seeks to create a visual representation of the connections between humans, the natural world, and the divine. Blue Horses can be seen as an attempt to find God in the greater, all-encompassing reality of the natural world.

Personally, I find this painting to be very calming. The colors and soft, rounded forms are very relaxing and convey a sense of serene beauty.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.