Creation I from the portfolio "New European Graphics, Portfolio III: German Artists" [Schöpfungsgeschichte I from the portfolio Neue Europäische Graphik III: Deutsche Künstler]

Creation I from the portfolio "New European Graphics, Portfolio III: German Artists" [Schöpfungsgeschichte I from the portfolio Neue Europäische Graphik III: Deutsche Künstler] is a powerful woodcut created by Franz Marc in 1914. This striking print was part of a significant publishing project documenting modern graphic arts in Europe just before the outbreak of World War I. Marc, renowned for his vibrant color palettes and spiritual approach to natural subjects, utilized the stark monochrome and forceful lines inherent to the woodcut medium for this highly abstracted composition.

The print exemplifies Marc’s rapid shift toward radical Abstraction in his final years. Moving away from the recognizable, rhythmic animal forms that characterized his earlier work with Der Blaue Reiter, this piece employs dynamic, interlocking geometric and curvilinear structures to convey a sense of primal energy and genesis, echoing the theme suggested by the title Creation I. The deliberate, rough cutting required by the woodcut process imbues the image with a raw immediacy characteristic of German Expressionism. Marc masterfully employed the limitations of the medium, utilizing dense black areas contrasted sharply with white voids, resulting in a composition that feels both monumental and intensely rhythmic.

This work serves as a crucial document of European Modernism just prior to the war, demonstrating how artists like Marc translated Expressionist fervor into abstract forms. As a leading pioneer of non-objective art, Marc’s contributions, particularly in the realm of prints, are highly valued. Today, this key example of German abstraction from the early 20th century resides in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.