Painter. He was a founder of the pioneer German abstract art movement "Der Blaue Reiter" ("The Blue Rider"). A man with a great affinity for nature, Marc painted primarily animals (especially horses) because he believed they best represented the vitality of the life force. He used color for symbolic purposes and even his still lifes radiate a dynamic sense of energy. Among his best known works are "Blue Horses" (1911), "Red Horses" (1911), "Deer in the Woods" (1912), and "Animal Destinies" (1913). His last paintings, including "Fighting Forms" (1914), showed him moving into total abstraction. The son of an academic landscape painter, Marc was born in Munich and studied at its Academy of Fine Arts (1900 to 1903). Visits to Italy, Greece, and Paris had a decisive effect on his development. Along with Wassily Kandinsky, August Macke, and Paul Klee he launched "Der Blaue Reiter" in 1911 and first exhibited as part of that group the same year. Conscripted into the German Army at the start of World War I, he ceased painting but kept a sketchbook in which he explored the rebirth of nature under cataclysmic circumstances, in such drawings as "Plant Life Coming into Being" and "Arsenal for Creation". He was killed at the Battle of Verdun. Tragically, his name had just been placed on a list of notable artists who were to be withdrawn from combat duty. In the 1930s the Nazis branded Marc a "degenerate artist" and some 130 of his paintings were removed from German museums. Today they are exhibited around the world and fetch millions whenever one comes up for auction.
Painter. He was a founder of the pioneer German abstract art movement "Der Blaue Reiter" ("The Blue Rider"). A man with a great affinity for nature, Marc painted primarily animals (especially horses) because he believed they best represented the vitality of the life force. He used color for symbolic purposes and even his still lifes radiate a dynamic sense of energy. Among his best known works are "Blue Horses" (1911), "Red Horses" (1911), "Deer in the Woods" (1912), and "Animal Destinies" (1913). His last paintings, including "Fighting Forms" (1914), showed him moving into total abstraction. The son of an academic landscape painter, Marc was born in Munich and studied at its Academy of Fine Arts (1900 to 1903). Visits to Italy, Greece, and Paris had a decisive effect on his development. Along with Wassily Kandinsky, August Macke, and Paul Klee he launched "Der Blaue Reiter" in 1911 and first exhibited as part of that group the same year. Conscripted into the German Army at the start of World War I, he ceased painting but kept a sketchbook in which he explored the rebirth of nature under cataclysmic circumstances, in such drawings as "Plant Life Coming into Being" and "Arsenal for Creation". He was killed at the Battle of Verdun. Tragically, his name had just been placed on a list of notable artists who were to be withdrawn from combat duty. In the 1930s the Nazis branded Marc a "degenerate artist" and some 130 of his paintings were removed from German museums. Today they are exhibited around the world and fetch millions whenever one comes up for auction.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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