• Franz Marc as an Ethologist

    Author(s):
    Jean Marie Carey (see profile)
    Date:
    2017
    Group(s):
    Der Blaue Reiter, Digital Humanists, Feminist Humanities, German Literature and Culture
    Subject(s):
    Animal rights, Art, History, Germans--Social life and customs, Painting
    Item Type:
    Thesis
    Institution:
    The University of South Florida
    Tag(s):
    Franz Marc, Ethology, Animal Studies, Animalisierung, Einfühlung, Art history, Germanic culture, German modernism
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M69S98
    Abstract:
    This thesis uses ethology as a framework to examine Franz Marc’s paintings of animals. To perceive animals ethologically means acknowledging that animals feel, think, experience, and imagine the world. Ethology has come to include interpretive pursuits as well as traditional field studies, and as I show, Marc’s practice encompassed both aspects of this evolving discipline. To establish the presence of ethology in the humanities I give a “case study” of what I call “retroactive ethology” in the work of J.M. Coetzee. I present an account of Marc’s deep knowledge about real live animals. I offer an assessment of the inspiration Marc drew from Post-Impressionism and Egyptian art and show how Marc modernizes animal painting by demolishing longstanding conventions of the genre. I offer some ideas to more fully explain two important terms Marc uses, Animalisierung and Einfühlung. Throughout my paper I keep conceptual and historical observations closely tied to Marc’s own words and images. Thus by reading and looking closely, we are able to see Marc as a dedicated and innovative ethologist whose implicit environmental commitment offers great comment upon contemporary discussions of the representation of the animal.
    Metadata:
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    7 years ago
    License:
    Attribution
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