작품 상세

Watercolour and gouache over preparatory pencil drawing on smooth sketchbook paper with rounded edges 16.8 x 20.9 cm. - The colours still very fresh, slightly yellowed in the former mat opening. The paper slightly thinned in two areas on the reverse from a former mounting. Hoberg/Jansen, Skizzenbücher XIX, p. 4 Provenance Maria Marc, Ried; Galerie Otto Stangl, Munich; Marc Estate no. 79; private collection, Bavaria; private collection This beautiful watercolour is from sketchbook XIX, of 1910, which contained approximately 20 pages. Except for a few sheets, the sketchbook has been broken up. Today the sketches of animals and nudes which it contained are to be found at various locations. The actual sketchbook was sold to the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg by the Munich gallerist and estate administrator Otto Stangl. Our watercolour is one of the few works in colour produced by the artist at that time. Franz Marc spent entire days at the zoo in order to memorise the organic structure as well as the characteristic features of the animals. He strove to work out the archetypical and to find the adequate colour for its expressive form. Thus the artist most probably did not paint the background pink for the sake of a decorative effect, but in order to intensify the essential nature of the lion that stands out against it. The brilliance of the colours elevates the lion to a royal symbol.