Yet I believe the Great War has a significance for Marc’s art that has been too easily overlooked in the now exceptionally well documented career of this major painter of the early Modernist era (a three volume catalogue of the artist’s entire oeuvre: Franz Marc: the complete works, was published in 2004).
Marc’s death in battle does not define his life or art in the way that tragic deaths can do: indeed, it may seem to have little bearing on these as the art and the war seem to occupy entirely disparate universes. That afternoon at 4pm Marc was killed by shrapnel from a shell blast. Two days later Marc wrote again to Maria, concluding on a reassuring note:ĭon’t worry, I will come through, and I’m also fine as far as my health goes. I must stop the transport of the wounded, which will take this letter along, is leaving. On 2 March 1916, German artist Franz Marc wrote to his wife Maria from the front line of the infamous World War One battlefield at Verdun:įor days I have seen nothing but the most awful scenes that the human mind can imagine … Stay calm and don’t worry: I will come back to you – the war will end this year.
