Franz Marc was born in 1880 in Munich, then the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria. His father, Wilhelm, was a professional landscape painter, and his mother, Sophie, was a strict Calvinist. In 1900, Marc began to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. In 1903 and 1907 he spent time in France, particularly in Paris, visiting the city’s museums and copying many notable paintings. This was a traditional way for artists to develop their technique and style. In Paris, Marc frequented artistic circles, and met numerous artists, including the actress Sarah Bernhardt. He was deeply struck by the work of Vincent van Gogh.

In 1906, Marc traveled with his elder brother Paul, a Byzantine expert, to Saloniki, Mount Athos, and various other Greek locations. In 1910, Marc developed an important friendship with the artist August Macke. In 1911 Marc founded the Der Blaue Reiter journal, along with August Macke, Wassily Kandinsky, and others. The year 1912 saw the apex of the German Expressionist Movement, with exhibitions in Berlin, Köln, Hagen, and Frankfurt. After this, he became increasingly fascinated by the developing movements of Futurism and Cubism, Marc’s oeuvre, thus, became increasingly stark and abstract.

After the mobilization of the German Army in World War I, the government identified notable artists who were to be withdrawn from combat to protect them. Marc was on this list, but before orders for his reassignment could reach him, he was struck in the head and killed instantly by a shell splinter during the Battle of Verdun in 1916 (which killed almost 1,000,000 men), another human statement to the stupidity of war.

法蘭茲‧馬克於1880出生於慕尼黑，當時是巴伐利亞王國的首都，他的父親威廉為職業風景畫家，母親索菲為極虔誠的喀爾文教徒。1900年，馬克進慕尼黑藝術學院就讀，1903年和1907年時均曾到法國，特別是巴黎，造訪其博物館並複製許多著名畫作。在當時這是藝術家增進其技巧與風格的傳統作法。在巴黎時，馬克與當地藝術圈的藝術家接觸頻繁，包括名伶Sarah Bernhardt，並深受梵谷作品的影響。

1906年馬克和身為拜占庭專家的兄弟保羅，造訪薩羅尼加、阿托斯聖山及許多其他希臘名勝。1910年時他與藝術家奧古斯都‧麥克結為莫逆。隨後於1911年，馬克與麥克、瓦希里‧康定斯基等人，共同創辦了『藍騎士』期刊。1912年在柏林、科隆、哈根和法蘭克福辦展，是德國表現主義運動的顛峰期。之後他逐漸迷上發展中的未來派和立體派，因此他的作品變得越來越質樸與抽象。

在德國於一次世界大戰頒布動員令後，政府當局認定了一批著名藝術家，要把他們從戰場撤離加以保護，馬克名列其中。但在行文到達前，馬克已於1916年的凡爾登戰役，因頭部中彈陣亡(共約一百萬人於該役陣亡)，再次顯示人類戰爭之愚蠢。