Deer at Dusk by Franz Marc

German Expressionist Franz Marc was born in 1880 in Munich to Wilhelm Marc, a landscape painter of his time and was educated at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts

After completing his studies, Marc travelled to France and once there he spent a lot of time cycling through artistic circles and discovered his inspiration in the works of Vincent van Gogh.

Marc changed his style of painting a few times throughout his career, beginning with Post-Impressionism through Cubism to Expressionism, but one thing stayed constant and that was the endearing quality his paintings of the natural world possess. As time went on, Marcs' work becomes bolder and more vivid in its use of colour.

Painted in 1909 and currently on display in the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich, the oil on canvas Deer at Dusk painting was an early Post-Impressionist piece themed on Marcs' passion for the natural and animal world.

The simple yet effective use of only a few colours brings with it the same sense of peacefulness Marc has portrayed in the deer. Deer at Dusk draws the viewers eye through its stark yet elegant use of long, fluid brushstrokes and soft textures of the deer fur and grassy knolls.

Franz Marc was recruited into the German army when war broke out in 1914 and by 1916, Marc was creating camouflage tarpaulins using Pointillism to hide military equipment from enemy aircraft.

Following deployment, the German government drafted a list of notable artist to be brought home for their safety but unfortunately, the orders to withdraw Marc came too late. Marc was killed by shrapnel during the Battle of Verdun.