Mountain Goats 1914

Curator: What strikes me immediately is the translucence. I can almost feel the grain of the paper supporting these watercolors, the thin washes barely clinging to its surface. Editor: I agree, there is something ephemeral about it. This is "Mountain Goats", created by Franz Marc in 1914. It is a painting that offers us an insight into his evolving vision of the animal world, rendered here with watercolor. Curator: You know, observing his choice of watercolor raises a question. Was this choice born out of material constraints, perhaps? Watercolor requires a certain swiftness, a departure from oil's blending and layering which could symbolize a move towards industrial efficiency? Editor: That's a very interesting point. Consider too how this abstract painting, even with animal subjects, reflected broader cultural anxieties of its time. World War I was looming, which deeply affected Marc's thinking. The rendering of these animals moves far away from traditional imagery. It seems to ask whether it is still possible to even portray beauty or harmony. Curator: Yes, absolutely, it is almost a deconstruction of form itself. I can see planes of colors suggesting the mountains and perhaps, abstracted renderings of the goats amidst them. Look at the greens, blues, reds and yellows and how they are laid with such loose, unrestrained quality. Editor: The painting remained in private hands and its reception changed over time. At the beginning of the 20th Century such abstraction may have appeared outrageous, whereas over time we learned to view this search for a visual and philosophical language to be relevant and perhaps important. How fascinating that now we get to analyze what viewers thought, did, bought during its presence through shifting eras. Curator: Indeed. Ultimately, this watercolor provides us with a compelling view into how Marc manipulated accessible materials to represent deep existential questions and convey emotions about an upcoming war and society itself. Editor: And hopefully through our dialogue, we've encouraged you to reconsider the interplay of image and perception that shaped the artwork and still impacts how it's perceived today.