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 Larch Sapling
Franz Marc painted Lärchenbäumchen, also called Junge Lärche auf einer Waldwiese (Young Larch on a Forest Meadow), in 1908. The painting is held by Museum Ludwig in Cologne, where it is recorded as ML 76/2464. It measures 100 × 71 cm. The tree belongs to Marc's early period of close outdoor study, several years before the blue horses and faceted animal landscapes. [1] [2]
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Watch on YouTubeA young tree in its meadow
The slim trunk rises almost through the centre of the upright picture. Short branches stretch sideways, with the uppermost growth reaching into a darker band of trees. Under the larch, blue and violet shadows cross the grass. Yellow-green strokes fill the meadow around it, interrupted by small flowers near the lower edge. The painting keeps the sapling distinct without isolating it from the growth and light around it.
Marc and Maria Franck spent the summer of 1908 studying nature at Lenggries. Deutsche Biographie singles out this painting as an early point where Vincent van Gogh's example becomes perceptible in Marc's work, following Marc's 1907 encounter with the Dutch painter's art. The influence is easier to see in the repeated, directional strokes than in any one colour: short marks build the grass, while darker lines describe the tree and forest edge. This is still an observed landscape, but its surface is already active and structured. [1]
Small reproductions can make the larch look lost in a field of green. At a larger size, its central trunk, layered boughs and darker patch of ground beneath it provide a clear vertical rhythm. The exact public-domain image used here is cooler and less saturated than the former site splash; neither version alone establishes the painting's present colour in the gallery. The composition, however, is identical. [2]
The following year Marc painted a separate young oak, Eichbäumchen. The shared diminutive title can make the two works sound interchangeable. Larch Sapling is the 1908 Cologne painting, with a narrow tree standing in a broad meadow rather than an animal posed against the landscape. [1]
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 small larch stands within a meadow of short, directional strokes.
Reader Insights
Observation
Where do the tree’s branches become clearest against the surrounding grass?
Comparison
How does this early landscape differ from Marc’s later animal paintings?
Interpretation
What does the repeated brushwork add to an otherwise quiet outdoor study?
Join the Conversation
Which detail changed the way you saw this work? Share a close observation or a comparison with another Marc picture.
References
- Deutsche Biographie, Franz Marc. View source.
- public-domain reproduction and object data. 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, Lärchenbäumchen (Larch Sapling), 1908, 100 × 71 cm. Museum Ludwig, Cologne, ML 76/2464. Public-domain faithful reproduction, resized without crop or colour adjustment. Image file and rights.
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