Nudes under Trees 1911

Franz Marc laid down the oil paint for *Nudes under Trees* with big blocks of blue, green, red, and yellow. This feels like a painting about the act of seeing, right? I bet Marc was in a constant conversation with Matisse, with folks like Kirchner and the other German Expressionists too. I imagine them all debating about the best way to move forward from Impressionism, with all the attendant anxieties about 'where next?' I mean, look at the trees: they're not just green and brown, they're all the colours! And the nudes? They're not real people, but ideas of people, shimmering in the light, almost dissolving into the landscape. See how the blue paint of the distant hills almost vibrates, and the way the branches cut across the space? That’s what it’s all about. It's like he's saying: forget what you think you know, and just look!