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 Small Horse Picture
Small Horse Picture (Kleines Pferdebild) is a small oil painting dated 1909. Artothek's image catalogue lists it as oil on canvas, 16 × 25 cm, at the Franz Marc Museum in Kochel (image 4682). The separate public-domain Commons file supplies the exact reproduction used here. The two grazing horses match the former picture on this page, so this is a replacement image of the same composition rather than an illustration of another work. [1] [2]
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The pale horse on the left lowers its head to the grass. The darker horse stands close behind, also bent down. Their backs form a nearly continuous band beneath the yellow upper edge, while the pale animal's sloping neck carries the eye toward the lower left. The horses are substantial bodies, built with short strokes of ochre, black, violet and green; they have not yet become the broad single-colour silhouettes familiar from Marc's later work.
The title's emphasis on the picture's small size is useful. At roughly 16 cm high, this is an intimate study of two animals sharing a patch of ground. The yellow light and green between their legs keep the scene open even though the figures occupy most of the canvas. The animals' similar pose creates a quiet rhythm, with the difference between their pale and dark coats preventing them from merging completely.
Marc returned to grazing horses in several distinct paintings. This 1909 pair should be read on its own terms: its compact size, two lowered heads and close contact distinguish it from the later three-horse compositions, including Large Red Horses. Artothek's catalogue supports the date, medium, measurements and museum credit, but a current museum object record has not been located. [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
Two grazing horses fill a canvas small enough to hold close in view.
Reader Insights
Observation
Where do the pale and dark horses almost become one shape?
Comparison
How does this quiet pair differ from the later group in Large Red Horses?
Interpretation
What does the compact scale contribute to your reading of the scene?
Join the Conversation
Which detail changed the way you saw this work? Share a close observation or a comparison with another Marc picture.
References
- Artothek image catalogue, Kleines Pferdebild, image 4682. View source.
- Wikimedia Commons, exact file and object details. 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, Small Horse Picture (Kleines Pferdebild), 1909, oil on canvas, 16 × 25 cm. Public-domain reproduction from Wikimedia Commons, retained at native width. Image file and rights.
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