Fairy Animal 1913

Curator: This piece, executed in watercolor around 1913, is called "Fairy Animal." It comes to us from the expressionist painter, Franz Marc. Editor: It’s surprisingly dreamlike! The soft, muted washes of color give a real sense of ethereality, especially around what seems to be the depiction of some kind of elephant? Curator: The "Fairy Animal" paintings, from this period, are interesting for their commentary on the animal and how we perceive our relations to the organic world and animal rights discourse in Germany at the time. Marc believed animals represented a sort of unspoiled purity absent from human existence. Editor: Looking at his mark-making here, the layering of semi-transparent pigment seems hasty yet methodical. I wonder, was Marc aiming to capture the essence of the creature or some material experience of representing it? There’s an apparent joy in applying the watercolor, letting the material act and move. Curator: Marc had begun corresponding with Kandinsky by 1911. We know this dialogue influenced the dissolution of figuration that led to pure abstraction, marking the beginning of the movement called Der Blaue Reiter. This is, also, likely when his turn towards symbolic, almost synesthetic approaches to color began to intensify. What's traditionally used to convey depth now acts more to convey the emotional significance of the subject. Editor: And even as he dissolves recognizable forms, the animal’s bulk feels almost tangible because of that layering you mentioned. It almost becomes something else; in addition to feeling symbolic. Do you agree with art historians who link it to early performances or set designs with animal themes? Curator: Absolutely. Given our expanded awareness of materiality, and the rise of eco-criticism, this seems to also align him with artists who challenged hierarchies between art and nature by highlighting humanity’s relationship to and effects on the organic world. Editor: The conversation really emphasizes the idea that even depictions can actively do something. A valuable lesson, particularly when dealing with ecological considerations today. Curator: Indeed. By examining the cultural and philosophical milieu from which "Fairy Animal" sprung, we can extract compelling, multifaceted layers of significance relevant for today.