The First Animals 1913

Franz Marc’s painting, “The First Animals,” is an explosion of colour, made with oil on canvas, though we don’t know exactly when. Look at how Marc layers these angular shapes and bold colours. It’s like he's building the painting up from basic blocks of colour and form. The animals are defined by colour and line as the paint is applied thinly, letting the forms breathe. Then consider the eye of the donkey. It’s just a patch of white paint, but somehow it draws you in. It’s like Marc is suggesting that there is more to see than what is on the surface. I’m reminded of Kandinsky, who, like Marc, was interested in the spiritual power of colour and form. These guys are having a conversation. It's like they're pushing each other to see how far they can go with abstraction, while still capturing something essential about the world around them. This piece invites us to let go of our preconceptions.