Fate of the Animals

Fate of the Animals is a painting by Franz Marc created in 1913. It is oil on canvas. This work contrasts most of Marc's other works by presenting animals in a brutal way rather than depicting them in a peaceful manner. Marc's strong ties with animals as his subjects remains uncertain, but it is predicted to stem from his childhood dog.Fate of the Animals remains one of Marc's most famous pieces and displays Der Blaue Reiter style that he co-founded with Wassily Kandinsky. The painting currently resides in the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland.

The last third of the painting was damaged in a warehouse fire in 1916 after Marc's death and was later restored by one of his close friends, Paul Klee. Klee restored the painting using old photographs. He added a brownish tint to the paint creating an obvious variation from the rest of the painting. Scholars have yet to figure out his decision to paint with a brown tint. Many opinions on the subject have been given, although none have been proven.

The title of the work is known as Fate of the Animals in English. This stems from the German name Tierschicksale which figuratively translates to animal destinies. Paul Klee is also known for suggesting an alternate title: The trees show their rings, the animals their veins. This is from the evident tree rings present as well as the green horse on the right whose veins you can see on its body. On the back of the canvas is believed to be the subtitle of the painting, which translates to "And all being is flaming suffering."

Fate of the Animals's title derives from the chaotic scene depicted. There are animals scattered throughout the canvas in what is referred to as a post apocalyptic setting. The scene depicts a forest that is being destroyed by the flames that are evident all around. The painting consists of a blue deer in the middle of the canvas, two boars on the left side, two horses, above the boars, and four unidentified figures on the right. The four unidentified animals are believed to be either deer, foxes, or wolves. Most scholars believe that the animals are deer based on Marc's older works where he depicts them with the same colors and physical attributes.

It is a premonition to World War I that Marc experienced living in Germany. The brutality of the animals lives at the depicted moment reflected what the oncoming war would be doing to the people of the world. The destruction, the chaos, and the sadness that the viewer sees sums up the evident outcome the future war would bring.

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