by Tom Gurney
Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 17, 2026
Email: tomgurney1@gmail.com / Phone: +44 7429 011000
Looking at Horse and Dog
Horse and Dog is a descriptive English name for Franz Marc’s Fabeltiere (Blaues Pferd und roter Hund), or Fabulous Animals (Blue Horse and Red Dog). He made the sheet in 1913. The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart holds it as C 1968/1611; its catalogue data records watercolour, black brushwork and pencil on mounted paper, measuring 47.8 × 39.2 cm. The museum-sourced reproduction confirms that this is the work pictured on the older version of this page. [1] [2]
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The blue horse dominates the upper part of the nearly square sheet. Its back curves rightward while its head dips toward the small red dog below. The dog's upright neck and pointed muzzle echo the larger animal's downward turn. Neither stands in a detailed field or stable. A few green strokes curl at the left, and black lines and pale angular planes pass through the open background. The animals are recognisable, yet their bodies are fitted into an arrangement of arcs and diagonals rather than a naturalistic setting.
The horse's blue is varied. Deep blue marks edge its head, mane and chest, while lighter washes leave much of its body close to the colour of the paper. The dog is likewise made from red-brown washes and pale areas rather than a single filled silhouette. Pencil and black brush lines remain visible among the colours. Looking at the full sheet, including its margins, makes that process clearer than the old cropped splash did. [1]
The German title's Fabeltiere suggests imagined or fabulous animals, but the picture need not be read as an illustration of a particular fable. Its central action is visual: a large blue curve presses toward a small red upright shape, and the surrounding lines keep both figures in motion. This compact paper work offers a different way to see Marc's animal compositions from the broad, three-horse oil painting Large Red Horses. [2]
Artwork Directory
This source-checked selection contains 192 identified works and print designs from the current Franz Marc research set. It is a curated selection, not a complete catalogue raisonné. Some works link to their article here; others link to a collection record. Unresolved identifications are omitted.
Discussion
The blue horse and red dog share a compact sheet of curves, washes and open paper.
Reader Insights
Observation
Where do the horse’s downward turn and the dog’s upright neck meet?
Comparison
How does this paper composition use blue and red differently from the large red-horse canvas?
Interpretation
Which marks make the two animals seem fabulous rather than placed in an ordinary setting?
Join the Conversation
Which detail changed the way you saw this work? Share a close observation or a comparison with another Marc picture.
References
- Staatsgalerie Stuttgart image and inventory via Wikimedia Commons. View source.
- Artothek catalogue entry. View source.
- Related artwork image, Yellow Cow: Photograph by Dr. Alexey Yakovlev; resized without crop or colour change, CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Splash image: Franz Marc, Fabeltiere (Blaues Pferd und roter Hund), 1913, watercolour, black brush and pencil on mounted paper, 47.8 × 39.2 cm. Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, C 1968/1611. Public-domain museum-sourced reproduction, resized without crop or colour adjustment. Image file and rights.
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