Siberian Dogs in the Snow, 1909-10
Oil on canvas; h80.5 x 114 cm; h31 3/4 x 44 7/8 in.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Two dogs trudge wearily through the snow, their white coats seeming to dissolve into their surroundings. The extraordinary luminosity of this painting owes something to the Impressionists' interest in light, while the contrasting yellow and blue shadows are influenced by Delaunay's theories of colour contrasts. Marc is best known for his paintings of animals in non-naturalistic hues, such as his blue and red horses, believing that colour had a symbolic and spiritual force all of its own. This work was painted in the year that Marc met Kandinsky and joined the New Artists' Association from which the Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter later evolved. From this time onward, Marc moved away from the naturalism of his early animal studies, making his first abstract painting in 1913. His tragically early death in the First World War at the age of 36 cut short his brilliant early promise. His original and profoundly serious philosophy of art was to have a lasting impact on Kandinsky.
From the 20th Century Art Book 2001 Phaidon Press Limited
No comments:
Post a Comment