Blue Horses

"Blue Horses" (or "Die grossen blauen Pferde") is a 1911 masterpiece by the German artist Franz Marc, a seminal figure in German Expressionism and a founding member of the Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group. This captivating painting features three blue horses set against undulating red hills, exemplifying Marc's adept use of vivid primary colors and simplified forms to convey profound emotions.

In "Blue Horses" Marc employs harmonious, organic shapes, with the rounded contours of the horses integrating effortlessly into the landscape. He believed that colors carried emotional and psychological significance: blue symbolized masculinity and spirituality, yellow represented joy, and red signified violence and matter. Through his distinctive use of color and form, Marc sought to evoke a spiritual essence and harmony, especially in his portrayals of animals, which he regarded as purer and more beautiful than humans. This reflects his pantheistic view of spirituality.

In 1942, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, acquired "Blue Horses" making it the first major modernist work in their collection. This painting is one of Marc's most significant works focusing on animals, alongside others such as "Gelbe Kuh" (Yellow Cow), "Die Kleinen Blauen Pferde" (The Small Blue Horses), and "Der Turm der Blauen Pferde" (The Tower of Blue Horses), the latter of which has been missing since 1945. Art historians highlight that Marc's approach was not about strict zoological precision but about capturing the essence and emotion of animals, a foundational aspect of his artistic vision.