Larch Sapling by Franz Marc

The German artist Franz Marc, born in 1880, executed the oil Larch Sapling in 1908

At this time Marc was 28 years old. Larch Sapling, also known as Larch Sapling in a Forest Glade, is a slight departure from much of Marc's work as it is a depiction of a single Larch Sapling in a forest glade; whilst the landscape is rich in shades of green it is nonetheless un-crowded and perhaps most strikingly of all does not include any animals.

Animals feature highly in Marc’s work as his philosophical approach to art encompassed a search for a higher level of spiritual attainment, exemplified for Marc by the freedom from materialism of animals in their natural environment.

Executed in the post-impressionist style, Larch Sapling demonstrates a use of the colour blue in the flowers that surround the single tree. For Marc, blue was a most significant colour, and he used it extensively throughout his work.

Marc was a founder member of the artist’s circle Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) who produced a journal of the same name. Marc developed a theory of symbolism in colour and in this the colour blue signified for him masculinity.

Franz Marc made a significant impact upon the expressionist styles that evolved following the First World War in which he tragically died whilst in service.

In 1900 Marc attended The Munich Academy of Art but the focus on natural realism there gave him no satisfaction and he left. Marc was later to break away from the styles he had been instructed in at the Academy in order to express himself in the style with which we are now acquainted.

Marc's earlier work followed the styles of Naturalism and realism; he later moved away from these and embraced, amongst other styles, abstraction.

Larch Sapling is currently on exhibition in the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany.