Lion Hunt After Delacroix (Löwenjagd nach Delacroix)

Lion Hunt After Delacroix (Löwenjagd nach Delacroix) is a powerful woodcut created by German artist Franz Marc in 1913. This pivotal graphic work is not an original composition but a dynamic reinterpretation of a dramatic subject popularized by the 19th-century Romantic master Eugène Delacroix, who was famed for his visceral depictions of animal hunts. Marc’s choice of the woodcut technique intentionally contrasts with the oil painting tradition of the source material, allowing him to reduce the complex narrative to its essential, jagged forms, emphasizing high contrast and raw energy.

Created during the peak of the Expressionist movement, this work showcases Marc’s commitment to radical abstraction just before World War I. As a founding member of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), Marc was deeply concerned with the spiritual integrity and vitalism of animals. Although Lion Hunt After Delacroix depicts a scene of violent struggle involving both animals and hunters, Marc uses the medium to focus on the inherent power and dynamic tension of the conflict. The process of carving and inking the wood block results in heavily scored lines and sharp geometric separations, transforming the traditional hunting scene into a study of pure force and motion, reflecting the increasing fragmentation seen across the artist's output in 1913.

The significance of this print lies in how Marc translated the Romantic frenzy of Delacroix into the bold, uncompromising language of Expressionism. Marc sought to purify forms through reduction, demonstrating a profound technical mastery over the difficult graphic medium. This work is a crucial example of the German avant-garde’s engagement with artistic history while simultaneously pushing toward modernist innovation. Today, this seminal work resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). As an iconic modernist graphic piece, the print continues to be studied extensively worldwide, with reference copies and historical documentation often available through public domain resources.