Munich, 1912. Franz Marc transforms a nocturnal walk into a mystical vision. A deer emerges in the moonlight in a monastic garden, perhaps at Benediktbeuern.
A Geometry of Nature
Observe reality fragmenting into colored facets: Marc breaks down the landscape into angular segments, grid structures, and circular arcs. Forms overlap, belonging simultaneously to multiple elements. At the center, a deer stands upright, head raised toward a moon enveloped in blue and orange. Its body remains intact despite the surrounding deconstruction. Vegetation transforms into vibrant beams. Expressionist chromaticism explodes: deep greens, brilliant yellows, mysterious mauves. Marc uses the Futurist fragmentation technique he discovered in May 1912 at the “Sturm” exhibition in Berlin.
Between Futurism and Spiritual Transcendence
This work marks Franz Marc’s stylistic maturity. It synthesizes two major influences: the metaphors of Italian Futurist movement and the prismatic rhythm of Robert Delaunay, whom he met in Paris in October 1912. But unlike Delaunay, who makes luminous color his sole subject, Marc uses it as a mirror of inner contemplation. “To see things through the eyes of the animal”: this quest permeates the painting. Rays traverse the composition, creating a mysterious tension.
Franz Marc
Franz Marc (1880-1916), co-founder of the Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter) with Kandinsky, seeks the spiritual essence behind appearances. His search for a higher reality shows through in each colored facet. The nocturnal landscape vibrates with cosmic energy.
Think about it
💭 How does Marc reconcile here the Futurist fragmentation and the spiritual quest of German Expressionism?
About This Work
- Deer in the Monastery Garden
- Franz Marc
- 1912
- Oil on canvas
- 75.7 × 101 cm
- Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau, Munich, Bernhard und Elly Koehler Foundation 1965
- https://www.lenbachhaus.de/en/digital/collection-online/detail/reh-im-klostergarten-30019620
