Riding School After Ridinger (Reitschule nach Ridinger)

Riding School After Ridinger (Reitschule nach Ridinger) by Franz Marc, created in 1913, exemplifies the artist’s radical engagement with graphic arts during the high period of German Expressionism. This powerful woodcut is a vital document of modernism, filtering a traditional equestrian theme through the abstracted, angular language of the Der Blaue Reiter movement.

Marc, primarily known for his intensely colored, abstract paintings of animals, utilized the stark contrast and vigorous line inherent in the woodcut technique to reinterpret historical subject matter. The title acknowledges the influence of 18th-century equine master Georg Adam Ridinger, transforming a classical subject of study into a dynamic, modern composition. As a relief print, the medium naturally lends itself to the planar style favored by Expressionists.

The composition features horses and riders reduced to dynamic, overlapping forms, emphasizing motion and energy over realistic anatomy. The aggressive carving of the block creates highly textured lines and deep blacks that contrast sharply with the white of the paper, giving the work an immediate and forceful presence characteristic of the period (1913). Marc’s ongoing interest in animal spirituality and form, central to his oeuvre, remains evident even in this monochromatic representation.

This exceptional piece demonstrates Marc’s commitment to exploring formal reduction in the year leading up to the war, a time when he moved increasingly toward pure abstraction. Like many important graphic works from the era, this print played a significant role in disseminating the tenets of German modernism to a wider audience. Today, this historically important example of German prints resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).