Waterfall by Franz Marc

This stunning piece was created by Franz Marc in 1912 as an oil on canvas. Large and impressive, this vivid and captivating painting broke records in 1999 when it sold at Sotheby's auction to a private collector for over $5million

Ironically Franz Marc would have probably been more excited by achieving his spiritual goals than monetary gain.

It was painted whilst Marc was living in Sindelsdorf, a small village near the Bavarian alps. Marc was inspired by nature and the countryside but his pictures were often mystical representations of the world he viewed.

Famous more for his animal paintings and use of colour, in this painting, it is the human forms beside the Waterfall that draw the viewers attention. Marc had made numerous sketches of the women for his picture.

They appear to have been carefully posed beside the waterfall and they seem to mirror the waterfall's flow. The women, like the one in his "Dream" painting are slightly reminiscent of the nude women that featured in Gauguin's Tahiti scenes.

Overall, the figures seem to depict the harmony between humans and the animal kingdom. There is also an energy present in this painting provided by the blue and white splashes from the waterfall and the rhythmic style, influenced by the linear compositions of the Italian futurists.

Franz Marc died in 1916 but even though his career was short, he had matured as a painter. His distinctive art, once classed as "degenerate" during the Nazi era is now recognized for it simplistic and symbolic brilliance. The Waterfall delights the viewer and never ceases to enchant and reveal new insights into the expressive world of Franz Marc.