The Fate of the Animals is one of Franco Marc’s most renowned works of art, painted in 1913. The piece is renowned for its size, bright colors, and subject matter. Marc was influenced by German expressionism, which was a mostly spiritual kind of art known for its inspirations from nature. This painting measures over 4.5 feet wide and 3 feet high and features a powerful array of colors that emphasizes the eeriness of the scene depicting animals pitted against each other in war. The painting symbolizes the irrationality and pain perpetuated by humans on their less powerful counterparts, namely animals.
Marc’s paintings became increasingly abstract throughout his career as he moved further away from the naturalistic methods he studied in his early years at art school. He employed a unique blend of elements to effectively depict the animal kingdom in turmoil, which resulted in robust compositions that spoke volumes even when considering how Marc chose to incorporate elements such as fragmented figures as reflections on human behavior.
Franz Marc also painted Dog Lying In The Snow, also from 1913. Similar to The Fate Of The Animals, it features warm hues juxtaposed against muted grays for a sense of atmosphere that conveys a message about its narrative – loneliness amidst winter and nature’s beauty intertwined with symbols of death used to represent life’s inherent tragedies that involve both humans and animals alike. Both these paintings serve not only as commentary on nature-inspired artwork but also as critiques socio-economic behaviors often taken for granted by mankind.
