St. Julian the Hospitaler 1913

Franz Marc, sometime before 1916, made "St. Julian the Hospitaler" with watercolour on paper. I imagine Franz Marc, in his studio, hovering over this painting. It's a scene full of soft greens, reds, and blues depicting Julian on horseback and two deer. The shapes are simple but angular, and the color is doing so much emotional work! The deer are downcast but surrounded by the luminous colours of the landscape, which lifts them up again. How did he make this? Layering the thinnest washes of watercolor, letting the colors mix and mingle, creating a harmony that feels both fragile and resilient. It feels like he's speaking to something bigger than himself through the deer and the rider, something timeless. The art feels part of a larger, ongoing conversation about how to express what it means to be alive.