The Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement was a group of artists who worked together to create a new style of art. The movement began in 1911 and lasted until 1914, when World War I broke out.
The name “Der Blaue Reiter” comes from Wassily Kandinsky’s painting “Der Blaue Reiter” (1911).

This painting shows a rider on horseback riding through mountains and fields with blue trees in the background.

The rider is wearing red clothes and has a yellow hat on his head; he also has a sword hanging off his belt that looks like it could be made out of gold or silver because it shines so brightly against the blue sky behind him.

In addition to this image being used as inspiration for their name, many other members also used horses in their work during this time period too!

The Artists Involved in the Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement

The artists involved in the Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement were:

Wassily Kandinsky, who was born in Moscow and moved to Germany at the age of 23. He was influenced by Russian folk art and Impressionism, as well as by his friend Franz Marc. He created abstract paintings that used color to express emotion and spirituality.

Franz Marc (1880-1916), another Russian immigrant who became an active member of the Munich branch of Der Blaue Reiter when it was founded in 1911; he died at Verdun during World War I while serving as an officer in France’s army (he had been wounded earlier).

His work focused on animals as symbols for human emotions or qualities such as courage or strength; he also painted landscapes inspired by German folklore legends about fairies living underground beneath trees called “elf trees.”

August Macke (1887-1914), another member of Der Blaue Reiter whose paintings often depicted rural life in Germany’s Rhineland region. He died during World War I after being wounded twice while fighting on behalf of France against Germany.

The Themes of the Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement

The themes of the Der Blaue Reiter art movement are as follows:

  • Abstraction,
  • Mysticism,
  • Nature and the Subconscious.

The Influence of the Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement

The influence of Der Blaue Reiter on the art world is undeniable. It was one of the first movements to bring abstract painting into mainstream culture, and it paved the way for many other avant-garde movements that followed.


The Expressionist movement, which began in Germany around 1905 and lasted until about 1925, was heavily influenced by Der Blaue Reiter’s emphasis on emotion over reason or logic.

The artists involved in this movement sought to express their inner feelings through their work rather than simply depicting what they saw around them (as Impressionists did).

This led directly to Abstract Expressionism–one of America’s most famous styles–which flourished from 1940 until 1970.

Der Blaue Reiter also had an impact on Surrealism: its members were among those who pioneered dreamlike imagery as a means of conveying subconscious thoughts and emotions through artworks that featured strange combinations of objects or creatures with human features (such as horses with human heads).

The Der Blaue Reiter Almanac

The Der Blaue Reiter Almanac is a collection of writings that was published in 1910 by Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, and August Macke.

The publication was the first major work to be released by this group of artists and it helped to define their artistic movement.

The contents of the almanac include essays on art theory as well as poetry, paintings, and drawings from many different artists in Europe at that time period.

It also features some works by young Russian poets who were connected with Der Blaue Reiter but did not actually join it because they were not German speakers (like Vladimir Mayakovsky).

Notable Works of the Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement

The best way to get a feel for the movement is by looking at some of its most notable works.
Der Blaue Reiter was an art movement that originated in Germany in 1911 and lasted until 1914.

It was founded by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, who were joined by artists such as August Macke and Gabriele Munter later on in their careers.

The name translates literally into “The Blue Rider”, but it also refers to a poem by Heinrich Heine called Der Barde vom Niederrhein (The Bard from Lower Rhine), which tells the story of a knight named “Der Ritter vom blauen Ross” (Knight with a blue steed).

The Legacy of the Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement

The legacy of the Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement has been felt in many ways. The movement had a large impact on contemporary art and continues to influence artists today.

It also had an important impact on art education, as many teachers and students were influenced by this new way of thinking about painting and sculpture.

The influence of Der Blaue Reiter can be seen in many works created by artists who came after it was founded in 1911. Artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc and Gabriele Munter all incorporated elements from Der Blaue Reiter into their own work.

For example, Franz Marc often used animals as symbols for humanity’s connection with nature; this idea was inspired by his experience at an exhibition featuring paintings by Wassily Kandinsky which depicted horses running free through fields (Kandinsky himself did not participate).

The Der Blaue Reiter in Popular Culture

Der Blaue Reiter has been referenced in a number of popular culture works.

In music, one of the most famous examples is Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, which was inspired by Franz Marc’s painting “Tiger” (1910).

In literature, Franz Kafka was influenced by Der Blaue Reiter artists when writing his short story collection A Country Doctor (1914).

The title character of this story listens to a performance by an avant-garde composer named Mahler who is clearly based on Arnold Schoenberg.

He also has a dream about being attacked by tigers like those in Marc’s paintings and wakes up next to his wife wearing blue pajamas like those worn by Wassily Kandinsky in some of his self-portraits!

And finally: film! Director Werner Herzog created two films based on works from the movement: Where the Green Ants Dream (1984) uses an image from Paul Klee’s painting “Angelus Novus” as its poster image.

While Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972) features Klaus Thunke’s “Kriegerin mit Pfeil und Bogen” (“Warrior with Bow and Arrow”) among other paintings as set decoration

The Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement Today

Today, the Der Blaue Reiter Art Movement is still popular and well-known. The movement has been preserved through museums and galleries all over the world, including the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland; the National Gallery in Berlin, Germany; and even at home here in America at The Metropolitan Museum of Art!


The popularity of this style has grown exponentially since its inception over 100 years ago. In fact, it has become so popular that many artists today are incorporating elements from Der Blaue Reiter into their own work as well as creating new pieces inspired by it! Some examples include:

  • Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans paintings (1962),
  • Damien Hirst’s A Thousand Years (1990).

Der Blaue Reiter – Wrap Up

The Der Blaue Reiter art movement was a short-lived but influential group of artists that sought to break away from the conventions of traditional painting. The group was founded by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, and it lasted from 1911 to 1914.

The most famous member of this group is probably Paul Klee, who created beautiful paintings filled with vibrant colors and whimsical shapes.

Other notable members include Marianne von Werefkin and Alexej von Jawlensky (who both painted portraits), Lyonel Feininger (who painted landscapes), Gabriele Munter (who did still lifes), Albert Bloch (who did landscapes) and Richard Riemerschmid (who worked in sculpture).