Tiger

Tiger is a seminal 1912 woodcut created by German Expressionist Franz Marc. Executed during his highly experimental period associated with the Der Blaue Reiter movement, this influential print exemplifies Marc’s rapid shift toward abstraction. The challenging technique of the woodcut medium, requiring the artist to carve away negative space, naturally lends itself to the angular, faceted representation of the animal, emphasizing vital energy and spiritual essence rather than naturalistic detail.

Marc frequently studied animals, interpreting them not merely as subjects but as symbols of nature's purity and dynamism, often juxtaposed against the perceived corruption of human society. In this composition, the animal’s powerful body is broken down into interlocking geometric planes. This formal analysis, while influenced by Cubism, was adapted by Marc specifically to convey the interior, rhythmic life of the subject. The stark contrast inherent in the black-and-white nature of the woodcut technique intensifies the power of the beast, locking the Tiger into a structure of sharp, dynamic forms characteristic of the artist's mature style.

This important early modernist print reflects the revolutionary artistic currents emerging from Germany just prior to the outbreak of World War I. The piece resides in the esteemed collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, representing a high point in Expressionist printmaking. The ongoing dissemination of high-quality images of this work, often treated as public domain art by the collecting institution, ensures its continued study as a foundational example of abstraction in early twentieth-century prints.