Riding School

Artist: Franz Marc, German, 1880–1916
Date: 1913
Material: Woodcut
made in: Germany, Europe
Classification: Prints
Collection: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: image: 10 9/16 x 11 11/16 in. (26.9 x 29.7 cm)
sheet: 14 x 15 1/4 in. (35.6 x 38.8 cm)
Credit Line: Funds given by the Children's Art Bazaar
Rights: Saint Louis Art Museum
Object Number: 478:1979

NOTES

The bold contrast of black and white in this woodcut heightens the sense of danger as a startled horse threatens to throw its rider. For Franz Marc, color—even black and white—was chiefly a way to communicate emotions, especially the emotions of the animals he depicted in his art. He once asked, “how does a horse see the world, or an eagle, or a deer, or a dog?” If we sense fear in "Riding School," perhaps it is the horse’s fear of the dog at his feet rather than the fear of the rider.

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