Small Composition II 1914

Franz Marc’s Small Composition II is a puzzle of flat forms and colors on canvas. I love how the marks aren’t trying to trick us into seeing anything, yet they add up to an experience – much like life itself, right? The way Marc stacks shapes, it feels like you’re looking at a world in pieces, all fitting together somehow, even if it doesn’t make perfect sense. It feels emotional. The color is laid down pretty thin, and he’s not afraid to let the brushstrokes show, which keeps it loose. Look at the way he’s got this green blob sort of floating near the top. It’s like a planet or a strange fruit. It doesn't sit still, you know? Thinking about this piece, I wonder if Kandinsky had been on his mind when Marc made this. They were friends, and Kandinsky was pushing abstraction too. It makes you think about how artists egg each other on, and how paintings aren't really ever finished, they just sort of stop.