Franz Marc ⁽⁴⁾

Franz Marc (1880–1916) was the German painter who looked at animals, saw pure, untamed beauty, and thought, “Let’s make them even more colorful.” Known for his vibrant and expressive works, Marc was one of the key figures of the German Expressionist movement and a founding member of the Blue Rider group. If you’ve ever looked at a horse or a deer and thought, “You know what would make you even better? More blue!”—you’re probably channeling your inner Franz Marc.

Marc’s style was influenced by his desire to show nature’s spirituality and purity. He believed animals had a kind of innocence that humans had lost, so he painted them as a way to reconnect with that primal, untouched energy. And if the colors didn’t already tell you he was all about breaking from the conventional, his brushstrokes were often abstract and dynamic, creating a sense of motion and life that jumped off the canvas.

Sadly, Marc’s career was cut short when he died in World War I at the age of 36—just as his work was gaining international recognition. But his legacy lived on through his influence on modern art. His works, filled with dynamic colors and raw emotion, still stand as a testament to his belief in the untamed beauty of the natural world. So, the next time you see a horse in a field, take a moment to imagine it as blue—because Franz Marc might’ve seen it that way, and honestly, it’s kind of hard not to!