Three Cats by Franz Marc

Franz Marc's Spirit Living in the Three Cats Painting

One of the most influential artists of all time, Franz Marc is also considered to have been a great authority in the German Expressionist movement. He co-founded The Blue Rider magazine which was a link between artists who came up with images and stories for the publication. His Expressionist spirit was reflected in much of his artistic work; key among them the Three Cats painting.

Recreating Art from The Inside

In line to Marc’s ascription to expressionism, the Three Cats painting is a successful attempt to convey his passion for the natural world. His interest in the study of animals was unrivalled in the artistic circle at his time. He had so much determination to become an expert in it that he eventually was called upon to teach about it. In his own words, his attempts were aimed at recreating them(the animals)from the inside. His love for nature and animals was an answer to the modern life from which he felt isolated.

Colourful Expression of Artistic Spirit

From most of Marc’s paintings, it is obvious that colour occupied a large place in Mac’s artistic mind as a result of influence by one of his friends, August Macke and van Gogh. Other than in the Three Cats, he used colour to set the mood in several paintings of his paintings including the most acclaimed one—The Yellow Cow—which was an expression of security and comfort derived from his 1911 second marriage to Maria Franck. In fact, he had come up with an analysis of the use of different colours in his artwork: red for the physical and sometimes violent world, blue for masculinity and yellow for feminine expression.

Conclusion

Marc’s mark in the artistic painting world is indelible. The Three Cats is one of the most enduring affirmations of the great talent of the artist especially in passing of messages about the natural world as well as humankind and its fate by use of colour symbolism and abstracted forms. With death snatching him away at only 36, Marc seems to have had a foreboding (which he boldly expressed in his work) of both his fate and the European world as World War 1 drew close.