A shy , sensitive man , the German Expressionist painter Franz Marc had studied theology and had intended , initially , to become a priest . turning to art when he was 20 , he had struggle for years to find a personal style . A visit to paris introduced him to the work of Van Gogh and Gauguin and following their example ,he began painting highly coloured pictures with simplified forms about all,of animals .
In 1911, Marc joined the New Artists ' Association, but soon defected from it with Kandinsky to form the Blaue Reiter group which staged two major exhibitions and produced a famous Almanac promotion the synthesis of the arts. Later, Marc experimented with a more abstract style, but the outbreak of World War I cut short his career - he volunteered for service and was killed in action near Verdun, in 1916.
