Small Horse Picture by Franz Marc

In 'Small Horse Picture', it is no coincidence that the horse that is the less dominant, with it's head down, is the lighter colour and blends into the background scenery

It is hard to tell what the German expressionist painter, Franz Marc, is best known for. It could be his unique style of painting animals is a setting where they neither look stifled or formal, or it could be for the large amount of work he did to ensure that the German expressionist movement was at least as good or if not better than it's counter parts in other countries.

Franz Marc grew up with art in his blood. His Father influenced him from a very early age with his landscape paintings.

Although this paved the way for Franz Marc's interest in art, the classic style of the landscape paining was not something that was to be followed through by the artist once he was exposed to the expressionist movement that was being celebrated by many of his French contemplates.

From 1903, the year that Marc's discovered expressionism, we started to see a lot of difference in his paintings, which is evident in 'Small Horse Picture'. Instead of flowing brush strokes and blending, we saw bolder lines, semi circles, and symbolical colours rather than practical ones.

This subtle, but powerful move by Franz Marc only makes the darker, more prominent horse stand out more. The beautiful imagery used in this painting captures freedom and nonchalance.

Franz Marc style of painting horses without riders is not only a nod to the fact that he respects these animals as a person, but also that he doesn't want there to be any interpretation of oppression in his pieces.