World Cow Marc

Franz Marc, The World Cow, 1913. Oil on canvas. 27 7/8 x 55 5/8 in (70.7 x 141.3 cm), horizontal orientation.

Early on in life, Franz Marc (1880-1916), a devoted artist, discovered that his most esteemed subjects were animals, and he strove to great lengths to hone his skills for accurately rendering them on canvas. Then, in the early 20th century, an overly-materialist Germany was overcome with a back-to-nature movement that fascinated Marc and ultimately inspired many of his later pieces. Although his initial aim was to replicate the physical likenesses of animals as accurately as possible, Marc quickly became disinterested in his anatomically-correct depictions, and instead began to emphasize his perceived essence of each animal; he felt

The massive red cow, reposing in either a valley or gully surrounded by mountains in the center of the canvas, isn't the only animal present: there appears to be a smaller white cow suckling from the red cow, as well as a grazing black bull in the lower left-hand corner, and a light-brown cow dozing in the lower-right hand corner. The cool greens, blues, and grays that compose the mountains and forest surrounding each of the subjects offers a striking contrast against the brilliant crimson of the titanic cow; the combination of starkly contrasting, saturated color, with the use of coarse brushstrokes, emulates the technique used by early Impressionist painters. However, though Marc's capricious use of vibrant pigments was obviously influenced by the Impressionist movement, when combined with his recently established color-theory and his affinity for incorporating abstract elements, the emotions that radiate from his work go beyond simple Impressionism and enter the realm of