Why did Der Blaue Reiter disperse during World War I?

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Edvard Munch: The Scream — Expressionism *The Scream*, tempera and casein on cardboard by Edvard Munch, 1893; in the National Museum, Oslo.

The organization of artists known as Der Blaue Reiter dispersed primarily due to the outbreak of World War I and the subsequent deaths of key members Franz Marc and August Macke at the front.1

While the group had been active in organizing exhibitions and promoting their ideas through the Der Blaue Reiter Almanach between 1911 and 1914, the onset of the war effectively ended their collaborative efforts. Marc, who had joined the German army in 1914, was killed in combat in 1916. These tragic losses, combined with the broader disruption caused by the conflict, brought the group's activities to a close.12