Two animals 1913

Franz Marc made this watercolour painting of ‘Two Animals’ with fluid, playful marks that convey a sense of movement and emotion. The animals aren’t really animals, right? More like patches of colour, interacting and playing with each other in the space of the paper. See how the colours blend and bleed together? The red merges into the black, the blue into the green, as if the animals are dissolving and reforming. I love how Marc lets the watercolour do its thing, embracing the drips and the unpredictable nature of the medium. Then there's that one bright white eye peeking out from behind the black animal. It’s like a little spark of awareness, a moment of connection between the viewer and the painted world. Marc was part of the ‘Blue Rider’ group, and Wassily Kandinsky comes to mind. Both sought to express spiritual truths through abstract forms and colours, pushing beyond representation towards a more emotional and intuitive way of seeing. Art like this isn’t about copying what you see, it’s about inventing new ways of seeing.