Fighting Forms by Franz Marc
In Marc's very final works before the outbreak of the First World War, it is extremely difficult to identify any animals, since non-representational form and abstraction have taken over. One of his final major paintings is Kämpfende Formen (Fighting Forms) which is dominated by two swirling shapes, one red and the other black.
The urge to identify the influence of the impending war is compelling. Levine has identified within the red form on the left the image of an eagle; it is possible to recognise beak-like and claw-like shapes. If this had been Marc's intention, it would seem, therefore, that even when his art appears to be the furthest from his earlier representations, the use of animals as emblems of emotions and expression is still prevalent. The image of war is thus perhaps represented here by a bird of prey.