Enjoy a thrilling ride with Der Blaue Reiter, a group of artists who galloped in unison in the early 20th century. They did so for just three years, but their rejection of prevailing conventions and their eagerness to create a new artistic current gave a major impetus to the evolution of expressionism and abstract art in Europe.

The Blue Horsemen

The Burden of Expressionism in the 20th century

Although its activity was limited to three single, turbulent years, the movement calledDer Blaue Reiter(1911-1914) generated an enormously influential ripple effect on modern European art. The group, a band of free artists, was organised around the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky (one of whose paintings, The Blue Rider, gave the collective its name) and the German painter Franz Marc, who rejected prevailing conventions and wanted to venture into unknown artistic territory.
Articulating spiritual concerns and values in an era of rapid industrialisation, the artists of Der Blaue Reiter shared an interest in painting, woodcut and engraving, as well as in the symbolic values of colour and a spontaneous approach to art.Key pieces such as Franz Marc's Blue Horse I (1911), Kandinsky's Black Bow Painting (1912) and August Macke's Lady in a Park (1914) deal with different themes, but all make use of distorted perspectives, simple lines and an emphatic and expressive use of colour.
Der Blaue Reiter was brought to an abrupt end by the outbreak of World War I, in which two of its leading figures were killed, as well as by the growing rifts between the group's leading figures. This book reveals the remarkable influence of the movement despite its short existence, introduces the artists and their key works, and gives evidence of its great resonance.

About the author

Hajo Düchting studied art history, philosophy and archaeology in Munich, where he received his doctorate in 1981 with a thesis on Robert Delaunay's Windows series. After working in museum and adult education, he has held teaching posts and been a visiting professor at the universities of Munich, Kassel, Leipzig, Saarbrücken and Mainz. Düchting has published numerous articles on modern art, colour theory and art education, and has written several titles in TASCHEN, including Paul Cézanne, Wassily Kandinsky, Robert and Sonia Delaunay and Georges Seurat.

Publisher: Taschen