Formed in 1911 in Munich as an association of painters and an exhibiting society led by Vasily Kandinsky and Franz Marc. Using a visual vocabulary of abstract forms and prismatic colors, Blaue Reiter artists explored the spiritual values of art as a counter to [what they saw as] the corruption and materialism of their age. The name, meaning “blue rider,” refers to a key motif in Kandinsky’s work: the horse and rider. The group, which published an influential almanac by the same name, dissolved with the onset of World War I.
Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider)
4 examples
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Franz Marc Horses Resting (Ruhende Pferde) 1911
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Vasily Kandinsky The Archer (Bogenschütze) (plate facing colophon page) from Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) 1912 (print executed 1908-09)
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Vasily Kandinsky Study for Painting with White Form (Entwurf zu Bild mit weisser Form) 1913
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Franz Marc The World Cow 1913