The rulers of the Central Powers stumped by Verdun. Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, Mohammed V of Turkey, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, and Czar Ferdinand of Bulgaria puzzle over a map labeled "Verdun." The ink and watercolor drawing is dated March 4, 1916. By R. DLC?The German assault on Verdun began on February 21, 1916 and continued through August.
Illustrated map labeled "Verdun." Drawing dated March 4, 1916. By R. DLC?
"1916965. A fateful year. At the end of January, Louis Moilliet's wife died while giving birth to a son, her first child. On March 4th my friend Franz Marc fell at Verdun. On March 11th I was drafted at the age of thirty-five."
Excerpt from the diary of the Swiss-German painter Paul Klee. Louis Moilliet was a Swiss painter and stained glass artist. Franz Marc was a leading figure in Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group of primarily Russian and German artists. Horses were one of Marc's most frequent subjects. In his Complete History, Martin Gilbert quotes one of Marc's last letters: 'The poor horses!' In one day at Verdun, 7,000 horses were killed.
The Diaries of Paul Klee 1898-1918, Edited, with an Introduction by Felix Klee by Paul Klee, page 323, copyright © 1964 by the Regents of the University of California, publisher: University of California Press, publication date: 1968
1916-03-04, 1916, March, Franz Marc, Marc, Klee, Paul Klee
