Zwei Pferde, blaugrün 1911

Franz Marc made Zwei Pferde, blaugrün – Two Horses, Blue-Green – with watercolour and pencil, and you can really see that process in the finished piece. The underdrawing is visible, almost celebrated, as the forms are loosely suggested by the most minimal of marks. The watercolour feels fresh and alive. It’s not overworked. The way the paint sits on the surface of the paper, it's so tactile – the brushstrokes feel gestural and immediate. Look at the bold blue marks suggesting the manes of the horses. It’s a shorthand, a way of capturing the essence of the subject without getting bogged down in detail. It reminds me of Marsden Hartley’s landscapes, where the paint is applied with a similar kind of directness and emotional intensity. There's this sense that Marc isn’t trying to create a perfect representation of horses, but rather to convey their spirit, their energy. It’s like he’s trying to tap into something primal and instinctual.