Franz Marc was a painter and printmaker, one of the important figures of the German Expressionism. He was a founding member of a journal Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), whose name afterwards became identical with the circle of artists working together in it. His paintings distinguished by bright primary color, an almost cubist portrayal of animals, stark simplicity and a profound sense of emotion. Even in his own time, his paintings attracted attention in influential circles. Marc gave an emotional meaning or purpose to the colors he used in his work: blue was used to portray masculinity and spirituality, yellow represented feminine joy, and red encased the sound of violence. After the National Socialists took power, they suppressed modern art. The Nazis condemned the Mark's art as "degenerate" and ordered about 130 of his works removed from exhibition in German museums.
