The artwork, titled “Shepherds,” was created by Franz Marc around the year 1912. The medium employed for this piece is oil on canvas, and it is a representative work within the Expressionism movement. “Shepherds” measures 100.01 x 83.5 cm and is categorized under symbolic painting. Presently, the artwork is housed in the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Germany.
In the artwork, Franz Marc expertly employs a vivid and expressive color palette characteristic of the Expressionism movement to depict a symbolic scene. Dominated by intense hues, the composition features two shepherds and their animals within a dreamlike landscape. The figures are rendered with simplified and exaggerated forms, enhancing the emotional and symbolic resonance of the scene. The shepherds, one seated pensively and the other reclining, are represented in tones of muted blues and greens, while a striking blue horse and a reddish-brown bovine are prominent in the background. The setting suggests an interplay between humanity and nature, a common theme in Marc’s oeuvre, with the stylized forms and bold colors evoking a contemplative and serene atmosphere.