The Blue Rider

Filled with brilliant reproductions, engaging texts and the latest scholarship, this portable and attractively priced volume is the perfect introduction to one of European modern art's most important movements.

Founded in Munich in 1911, the Blue Rider Group was a revolutionary collective of artists that pioneered German Expressionism. Including Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Natalia Goncharova, Gabriele Münter, and Marianne von Werefkin, the group rejected the prevailing formal and academic artistic trends of their time, sought to break free from the constraints of traditional painting, transcend the material world, and explore emotional and spiritual truths in their art. This book spotlights 35 important works that embody the artists' pioneering achievements and radical innovations. It features stunning reproductions that highlight the movement's use of luminous colors, symbolic forms, and expressive brushwork. An introductory essay explores the cultural and historical environment that led to the group's establishment, the diverse critical response to their work, and their lasting impact on subsequent artistic movements, such as Cubism, the Bauhaus, and Abstract Expressionism.