Art is the Solution

The White Cat Source: Artcyclopedia German artist Franz Marc is best known for his colorful paintings of animals. 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. Marc achieved this goal by painting animals, which he felt a strong emotional connection to. Although Marc frequently painted wild or barnyard animals, he also produced many paintings and drawings of domestic cats throughout his career. Like many artists, Marc was evidently drawn to the grace and elegance that cats display. Marc tended to paint animals in natural poses and environments, and, in The White Cat , the subject is curled into a typical feline sleeping pose. Marc used a complex system of color coding to imbue meaning in his paintings. In this case, the cat’s white fur is a symbol of its innocenc...

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 a...

The Fate of the Animals Source: Wikimedia Commons Yesterday, I discussed the art of German Expressionist artist Franz Marc. The painting I discussed—the Yellow Cow —is a joyful scene, typical of his style. However, while I was researching his work, I came across a darker piece: The Fate of the Animals .  Marc had a deep affinity for animals, and much of his work depicts them in idyllic settings. In the Fate of the Animals however, this dynamic is turned on its head. Here, Marc’s beloved animals face brutal destruction. Trees topple as panicked animals try to escape a blazing fire; the scene may reference a forest fire, although Marc was always more interested in depicting psychological reality as opposed to the physical world. Whatever his intent, the resulting scene is the sort of image that will be seared in your mind forever. It is jarring, terrifying and heartbreaking all at the same time. In comparison to Marc’s other work, The Fate of the Animals can only be called...

The Yellow Cow 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. The Yellow Cow is one of his most famous pieces; it depicts the titular yellow cow galloping across a geometric landscape. According to my research , Marc conveyed his ideas through a complex language of color. Within this language, yellow signifies...