Horse and Dog by Franz Marc

This is one of Marc's most famous paintings, as it portrays the familiar sight of a horse and a dog, but in this scenario together. In the colours of this paintings are stark, passionate emotions.

Franz Marc created sixty prints that were grounded in woodcut and lithography styles. His work shows animals in their natural environment and is usually characterized by bright primary colours.

His style has been likened to that of cubism, with the paintings being simplistic, yet stark in colouration. Many say that his paintings portray a distinct sense of emotion. Marc gave emotional meaning to the colours within his paintings.

The horse is portrayed in a dark blue colouration, which shows its prowess and leadership, whilst simultaneously symbolizing vulnerability and domestication. Whereas, the dog has been shaded in a lighter brown; this colour evokes a strong friendship between itself and the horse and gives a sense of willing content.

The position of the dog in relation to the horse is also very interesting, as the dog is placed directly in front of the horse, in what could be described as a loving stance.

They appear to be engaged in a magnanimous relationship where they know one another and are comfortable in each other's presence, this is shown through the colour and the mood. In many of Marc's paintings the colour and mood are fundamental in understanding what message the painter is trying to give his audience.

Franz Marc was born in Germany in 1880 and sadly died in 1916, at the height of the First World War. He was a painter and print maker and was a key fire in the German expressionist movement of the time. He was the founding member of the magazine Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a compendium whose name later was taken by those artists involved in keeping it going.