Large Blue Horses

This is one of Franz Marc's earliest major works depicting animals and the most important of his series of portraits of horses in various colors. It is often thought that Marc thought animals to be more pure and more beautiful than man and represented a more pantheistic understanding of the divine or of spirituality.

The painter, printmaker, and watercolorist Marc was a key member of Der Blaue Reiter, and is known for his use of animal symbolism. This canvas belonged to a series of works that centered on the theme of horses, which he regarded as emblems of spiritual renewal. The lush colors, fracturing of space, and geometric forms show the influence of Cubism and Robert Delaunay's Orphism. Marc gave an emotional or psychological meaning or purpose to the colors he used in his work: blue was used for masculinity and spirituality, yellow represented feminine joy, and red encased the sound of violence and of base matter.

Even the creators of Bojack Horseman found the inspiration in this artwork and we can see the painting in the first episode of the second season. If you would like to see more art inspirations in this series, read the article "ALL Art In BoJack Horseman We Could Find Gathered In One Place".