The Little Blue Horses 1911

Franz Marc made "The Little Blue Horses" sometime before his untimely death in World War I using oil on canvas. The surface is alive with these brushy marks of pure color—yellows, greens, reds, and, of course, that striking blue, all jostling against each other. I imagine him there, wrestling with this vision of horses, not quite realistic, but somehow more true. What’s so fascinating is how the blue dominates, giving the horses a kind of otherworldly presence. The paint isn't too thick, not like impasto, but you can feel the texture, see the way the colors blend and bleed into each other, suggesting movement, energy. Look at the curve of a neck, how the blue fades into shadow—it’s so tender, so full of feeling. It reminds me of other expressionists like Kandinsky, all of them chasing after ways to make color sing. Painters, we're all just talking to each other across time, borrowing, stealing, and riffing off ideas. It's a constant conversation, and Marc's voice, with all its passion and vulnerability, still rings loud and clear.