I picked these two artists because I wanted to compare expressionism to modern art. I was drawn to them because of their use of vibrant color and line. They both use color and distinct lines to express the raw emotion of pain and war. Through the use of animals and abstract depictions of war, these artworks are a more simple representation of suffering and conflict. Their work demonstrates their passionate perspective of war. Color and line used by Franz Marc and Barnaby Furnas epitomizes their expression of conflict and struggle.
Cultural significance of The Tiger
Franz Marc (1912)
This painting is the quintessence of restless tension. The Tiger by Franz Marc was made in 1912 and has a strong cubist style. It differs very much from Marc’s previous works which are more serene and composed. The creation of this work shows Marc’s transition to a more anxious and restless style that may be the result of the frenzied activity occurring in 1911-1912.The high pressure and tension between
Germany and the rest of the world at the time is depicted in this work. The militarism and intense nationalism leading immediately to World War I culturally impacted this piece and led to its disturbing perception of a tiger. The trauma of the oncoming war contributed to Marc’s perception of this physically masculine and intimidating animal as a symbol of fear and domination.
Marc collaborated with Kandinsky to pioneer the Der Blaue Reiter movement in Munich, Germany in 1911. Der Blaue Reiter formed to confront their alienation from the modernizing society through the promotion of the abstract and spiritual realization. A lot of Marc’s art was influenced by his spirituality which cultivated the development of his use of symbols. The Der Blaue Reiter highlighted the importance of abstract art and influenced the highpoints of German expressionism which inspired many of his art created subsequently.
Cultural Significance of The Fate of The Animals
Franz Marc (1913)
The time surrounding the creation of this piece was WWI. Marc fought on the frontline for the German army where he saw the horrors of war. This led to the transformation to more abstract styles where he expresses his opposition to destruction, chaos and violence. It shows a culmination of the European avant-garde art and German Romanticism. Marc felt that this transformation was necessary as he viewed war as a part of nature, which he realizes that animals are apart of also. Marc wants society to realize that he saw the war was leading to the creation of the new society.
Marc’s work, The Fate of The Animals, depicts his feelings regarding World War I which was approaching. As a German artist his sense of nationalism added to his fear of the war and suffering that was to follow. Marc’s fears about the war created the scenario for him to imagine the ugliness and monstrosity of animals that he once only saw in humans. This internal tension caused a shattering of foundational beliefs which resulted in the changing of style in this art piece. The overturning of animals’ masked beauty removed any sense of emotion towards them and instead the emotion is depicted through the exaggerated line, geometric shape and bold colors. In parallel with the German view at the time of purification, Marc believed that animals needed to be purified and redeemed just like humans.
The Cultural Significance of Untitled (Antietam) II Barnaby Furnas (2008)
Barnaby Furnas is a contemporary American painter who paints violent battle scenes. He depicts major events of American history, like the Civil War that is shown in Untitled (Antietam) II. The vibrant chaos that Furnas illustrates is the violence of history and also relates to the serious issues that were fought over. The intense imagery in his paintings may be a result of his grafitti background where he started his artistic career, and the abstract style is the result of the modern styles of the early 21st century.
The cultural values that Furnas is trying to highlight is that of racial violence and racism which is still very prevalent today and can be connected back to the civil war which is the subject of this painting. Furnas is able to show the violent scenes in a way that makes almost seem lighthearted and comic-like due to the time period he is painting and the time period he is reflecting from.
Visual Analysis
The Tiger The black and bold outline creates emphasis on the
Medium: Oil on Canvas edges of the geometric shapes.
The shadows create a feeling of mystery and the unknown which reflects how Marc felt
The color yellow initially about the coming time symbolized femininity in period and how living in Marc’s previous paintings , Germany at that time led to but by using the color yellow a lot of internal tension and to paint the tiger, it fear. contrasts the powerful and masculine figure of the tiger that is pictured. It draws Bold, primary colors and the attention to this bold color use of complementary colors and moves the attention cause a feeling of disunity towards the distinct and that creates the overall intimidating features of the emotion of uncertainty. tiger.
The sharp angles and the splintering colors show anticipation and tension. The tiger is in a defensive position, and looking Straight lines rarely ever appear in over his shoulder as if he is trying to make sure nature and the use of straight, jagged there is no danger lines overpowering this piece, gives He looks like he is trying to protect himself, but this animal that is a part of nature, an also portray himself in a way that is intimidating. It almost unnatural appearance resulting appears as if the tiger is staring directly at the in restlessness and uncomfort. viewer, adding to the overall discomfort of the piece.
Visual Analysis
The Fate of The Animals Use of color to showcase emotion: blue depicted masculinity, yellow Sharp Shards depict the feelings of conflict that overpower the serenity of animals and how people usually view them. The straight lines may be Marc’s way
The use of black to accentuate the animals’ expressions and body language. It also aids in the movement throughout the piece and adds more to the overwhelming chaos. When I look at this piece I feel a synesthetic association with the uproar of war and the sounds of weapons and the cries of soldiers caused by the clashing colors and intersecting lines.
All the shards intersect at the center of the painting and create unity and emphasis on the convergence of the animals destruction, conflict and tension represented femininity, and reds were used to illustrate violence. The Medium: Oil on canvas disharmony of colors, use muted colors, and multiple shades of these colors illustrate the overall chaos of the piece.
The colors become more dull towards the right and it shows the movement of the art. The change in color and value makes the scene appear to become more hopeless which expresses the theme of the doom and definite demise.
The sharp , geometric shapes make the animals appear dangerous. The straight lines that form the animals may also represent weapons, because the
The bold colors to the right shapes of weapons are usually symbolize the extreme feelings straight and narrow, like guns and raw emotion of the pain and and cannons. Marc may have suffering in Marc’s visualization been exposed to these weapons of animals during the war and portrayed this unconsciously in the paintings line and composition.
Visual Analysis
Untitled (Antietam) II
The red streaks across the bottom show the blood and guts of war, and the different hues of red, and the shadows depict a more realistic portrayal of blood. The repetition of the flags may symbolize the intense nationalism that played a big role in the Civil War. The use of angular ad staccato lines, is shown through the many guns in the painting. The guns were the means of the barbarity of the war.
The contrasting colors of the background and foreground create a feeling of opposition which highlights the theme of war.
The very bright and vibrant hues make the scene appear to be more crucial to the audience.
The distorted faces of the men on the horses show the abstract interpretation of the war and create a comic-like, humorous response to the battles of the gory battles of the civil war, showing that Furnas may have viewed this violence as unnecessary and nonsensical.
Medium: Urethane on Linen
Function and Purpose
The Tiger
- This art piece was made for a symbolic purpose. To warn people of the harsh realities of war by depicting a simple picture that depicts danger.
- Power is symbolized by use of the tiger and conveyed through bright colors and jagged lines.
- The reliance of black paint in the piece evokes a more threatening meaning as it creates a mood of fear in regards to the events of that time
Function and Purpose
The Fate of The Animals
- This work was created to express the harsh reality of war and its deep seeded connection to nature and the raw violence of animals.
- The meaning of this work may be to show the viewers that war is inevitable, and part of nature, yet it is a scene of pure horror and violence.
- Being an oil painting on canvas, the colors are a lot more pigmented, which emphasizes the sharp lines and angles in the painting
Function and Purpose
Untitled (Antietam) II
- This piece’s purpose was to serve as a social commentary on the large issues surrounding racism that have continued for over 100 years
- The meaning of the work is communicated through the portrayal of a battle of the Civil War where the soldiers’ expressions are hard to see which may be done on purpose to show how the soldiers were fighting for a blind cause. The war did not fix the whole problem regarding inequality between races
- The medium of urethane on linen creates a unique effect and creates a more historic appearance, which matches the theme
Franz Marc,The Fate of The Animals, 1913 , oil on canvas
- Relied heavily on raw emotion
- Line is jagged and blends into one another
- Painted this to show the ugliness in animals that he associated with humans
- more abstract
- highlights raw emotion -painted to show the animals natural instincts
Both
- used animals as a means of symbolizing war -oil on canvas -utilize bright colors and sharp angles to depict the tension and fear
- Use colors to symbolize and contrast -a result of the cultural tensions surrounding World War I
Franz Marc, The Tiger,
1912, oil on canvas
- single subject of the piece -the tiger is in a defensive pose which reflects the fear of war
- the use of black as a shadow contrasts the bright yellow of the tiger and draws attention to the threatening expression on its face
- uses the symbol of a tiger to show the fear of power which reflects Marc’s experience in the war
Franz Marc,The Fate of The Animals, 1913 , oil on canvas
- regarding World War 1 -more implied relationship between the monstrosity of the animals and the actions of humans in war
- outlines the similarities between war and nature, and humans and animals -the cultural context of the war surrounds Marc’s views on how the new society will be full of chaos and violence
Both
- contain abstract aspects using line -both use vivid colors to
- make connections between war, violence and their harmful impacts -use figures animals/humans to convey the harsh realities of war – the complexities of the pieces show the chaos of war -the lack of singular focal point and overcrowding in foreground
- creates a scene of chaos
Barnaby Furnas,Untitled (Antietam) II, 2008, urethane on linen
- reflection upon the Civil War -more gory, and literal representation of the battle field and the issues that still persist, like slavery
- highlights the continued issues surrounding racism
- the repetition of line and overlap throughout the work creates a chaotic mood
- the modern abstract style of the soldiers expression create a comic
- ike side to the piece
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Franz Marc,The Tiger
1912 , oil on canvas -one main subject that is emphasized with the bold
intersecting lines in the background
- uses thick line and a heavy reliance on black paint to emphasize the threatening expression on the tiger’s face
- symbolizes masculinity, dominance and power
which parallels to soldiers in the war
- german expressionism
Both
- use vivid colors to symbolize the tensions of war -brushstrokes which creates tension and chaos
- though they are from differing times they both comment on the society’s understanding of war
- evoke feelings of unrest and discomfort within the viewer
Barnaby Furnas,Untitled (Antietam) II, 2008, urethane on linen -many figures dispersed throughout the painting -The distorted expressions on the faces creates a powerless and whimsical mood regarding the soldiers fighting
- very gory, yet not as threatening as the Tiger -depicts the actual scene of the war and the two sides fighting in it
- modern abstract style
[image: ][image: ]
Comparing All Three Artworks
- All three works outline the stresses of War and take a different stance on its effects
- Barnaby Furnas uses a modern view of a war from a previous time period, while Franz Marc is reflecting on his personal experiences from being on the frontline of battle creating a more personal connection with his art
- Marc relates war to the immediate and raw violence while Barnaby feels that the lingering effects are most harmful, like the effects of racism still prevalent today
- Marc portrays animals to represent the natural instinct towards violence/destruction, and how they represent people, while Furnas’s amusing portrayal of the soldiers depicts them as pawns to the war rather than as the catalysts of terror.
Sources
- http://www.franzmarc.org/
- http://www.franzmarc.org/Fate-of-the-Animals.jsp ■ https://www.theartstory.org/artist-marc-franz.htm
- https://overland.org.au/2013/04/franz-marc-utopian-hopes-for-art-a nd-the-great-war/
- https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/barnaby_furnas.htm
- https://www.victoria-miro.com/artists/40-barnaby-furnas/works/ima ge2579/
- http://www.artnews.com/2013/05/15/the-civil-war-in-art-then-andno w/
- https://www.widewalls.ch/war-paintings/
