Birth of the Wolves (Geburt der Wölfe)

The powerful print Birth of the Wolves (Geburt der Wölfe) was created by influential German artist Franz Marc in 1913. Executed as a woodcut, this medium allowed Marc to maximize raw energy and bold contrast, essential characteristics of the burgeoning Expressionist movement of the early twentieth century. This specific graphic technique, classified as a print, relies on the subtractive method where the artist carves away the non-printing areas of a block of wood.

Marc employed the woodcut's inherent coarseness and lack of nuanced tonal shifts to depict a scene of elemental ferocity. The subject matter centers on the moment of birth, suggested by the dense aggregation of animal forms and sharp, radiating lines emanating from the composition's core. Unlike the vibrant, abstract color fields associated with many of his paintings from this same period, this work emphasizes form and movement through stark black-and-white contrast. The composition’s jagged edges and compressed geometry convey the primal energy of the nascent creatures, demonstrating Marc’s profound interest in depicting the spiritual essence of animals rather than their mere physical reality. The overall effect is one of intense, explosive vitality.

Created just before the onset of World War I, this 1913 piece belongs to a pivotal period in German modernism, reflecting the anxieties and desire for renewal characteristic of the era. Marc, a key figure in the Der Blaue Reiter group, frequently explored themes of nature, spirituality, and purity through animal forms, using them as symbolic representations of utopian idealism. This intense, graphic woodcut stands as a significant example of his late graphic output and his commitment to expressive simplification. Today, this important Expressionist print is housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), serving as a crucial reference point for the study of modern art.