527 - Franz Marc (1880 Munich – Verdun 1916)

Franz Marc (1880 Munich – Verdun 1916) Resting Horses Color woodcut on fine, chamois-colored Japanese handmade paper. (1911/12). Approx. 17 x 23 cm (sheet size approx. 28.5 x 34 cm). Signed and inscribed “with best regards” lower left. Lankheit 825 I (of II); Hoberg/Jansen 23 I (of II). • One of Franz Marc’s rarest and most significant color woodcuts from his creative period within the “Blue Rider” circle • The four horses embody Marc’s vision of harmony, security, and the primordial unity of animals and nature • A particularly beautiful, vibrantly colored artist’s proof in an early state of printing, with the artist’s hand-signed signature and personal dedication Four horses lie close together, their bodies partially nestled against one another and almost merging with the surrounding landscape. Franz Marc eschews a naturalistic depiction of the animals and instead develops a composition of curved lines, powerful contours, and interlocking areas of color. The individual horse bodies are sometimes distinguishable from one another only by their outlines. This creates the impression of a cohesive, self-contained community. Color plays a decisive role here: the interplay of the blue and green shadowed areas with the light-illuminated, exposed sections of the chamois-colored paper lends the horses’ bodies a sense of three-dimensionality. The bold black lines structure the composition and lend it a special dynamism without disrupting the peaceful overall mood. The animals do not appear as individual beings in a landscape, but as a natural part of a natural order. The motif of the resting horses exemplifies Marc’s conception of a primordial unity between animals and nature. By reducing the work to a few colors and essential forms, the artist finds a visual language that transcends the mere depiction of the visible and expresses the inner connection among living beings. Provenance: Private collection, Switzerland; Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, Dec. 4, 2004, Lot 895; Olbricht Collection, Germany, acquired from the aforementioned source. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).