Fauvism & Expressionism · 1911

The Large Blue Horses

Franz Marc 1880–1916

The Large Blue Horses (1911) by Franz Marc. Its palette is led by light blue (#9395c7, 23%) and indigo blue (#585895, 19%), with accents of warm grey, pale orange amber, silver and blue black. Overall the canvas is light, vivid and balanced between warm and cool.

Color note

Marc gave colors meanings: in a 1910 letter to August Macke he called blue the masculine, spiritual principle, yellow the feminine and gentle one, and red heavy, brutal matter.

Palette

#9395c7 MG 102 light blue 22.9% of canvas
#585895 MG 104 indigo blue 18.6% of canvas
#6d6fab MG 103 indigo blue 16.9% of canvas
#e04348 MG 013 vivid red 11.4% of canvas
#738271 MG 174 warm grey 9.3% of canvas
#f5c779 MG 031 pale orange amber 8.4% of canvas
#ebdee1 MG 206 silver 6.9% of canvas
#1d0f23 MG 221 blue black 5.7% of canvas

Color families

Blue 45%, Red 12%, Purple 8%, Brown 7%, Gray 7%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.61
Contrast: 0.53
Vividness: 0.079
Warmth: -0.15
Complexity: 235 cells
Hue range: 0.64
Focus: 0.00

Composition

52% of the visual weight is in the left half, 55% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.47 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 2% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 36% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1911
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 105.7 × 181.1 cm
Genre: animal art
Collection: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

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