It's a shame that the comeback was never meant to happen. Original paintings by August Macke.

August Robert Ludwig Macke (1887–1914) — was a German artist who worked in the direction of Expressionism and was a member of the Blue Rider art group. The stylistics of Macke's paintings are very diverse, he was constantly in creative search, inspired by the works of Impressionists, Fauvists and Expressionists, but managed to form his own peculiar manner of painting.

Russian ballet

Influenced by Matisse, Macke moved away from realism in favor of more emotionality. He had something to say in his paintings, so he often deliberately distorted shapes and used bright, unusual colors.

Moreover, his paintings, unlike the postwar (we are talking about the First World War) works of German expressionists, in particular Otto Dix, are very cheerful and positive. All these bright colors, serene ladies and gentlemen strolling in the park, as in the painting “Promenade”, create the impression of a happy peaceful life.

Promenade

Macke's father worked as a building contractor, but he was seriously interested in painting and even painted at an amateur level. He managed to collect a good collection of paintings and engravings at home, which little August enjoyed looking at.

Zoo

August received a good education: first he studied in a gymnasium, and then in a real school. The young man willingly makes new acquaintances, and at the age of 16 first met the sister of his friend

Elizabeth, and immediately fell in love. Romance with Elizabeth lasted 6 years, when, finally, he decided to make her an offer. Elizabeth often posed for Macke's paintings and was his best model.

Portrait of a wife in a hat

And Make seriously considered becoming an artist and leaving the real school. His father rejected this decision as completely impractical. But Macke was stubborn and entered the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts. True, practiced there methods of teaching and the dominance of seemingly hopelessly outdated academism Macke did not suit. Movements and emotions for him were more important than tedious copying plaster, when the resulting pictures became lifeless, monotypical and boring. Therefore, he abandoned the academy, and in order to still tighten the technique to an acceptable level went to evening courses in painting.

Tightrope Walker

Gradually, Macke began to earn a good income by painting theater sets. The proceeds were enough to start traveling. Macke traveled all over Europe, was in Italy, Holland and England, where he visited museums, familiarized himself with the work of the old masters and the English Pre-Raphaelites. Well, of course, not without a trip to the main city of artists at the time - Paris, where he became his own among the Impressionists. Their creative style Maca very much impressed, and the young artist willingly used the developments of the Impressionists in his paintings. However, he never came to pure impressionism, preferring Fauvism, expressionism and abstraction as more progressive and innovative.

Girls among the trees

Married in 1909 to Elizabeth, Macké could not think about saving money at all - the girl was given a rich dowry, she was the daughter of a large manufacturer. The couple bought a nice house on Lake Tengerskomu lake, where Macke organized his workshop. He continued to be an active artist, met with Kandinsky and Franz Marc, joined the group “Blue Rider” and even tried to write paintings in the style of abstractionism. But soon returned to his style.

Self-portrait in a hat

His acquaintance with Robert Delaunay had a profound influence on Macke's work. He took much from his work, sincerely admired Delaunay's ability to convey dynamics and rhythm in the paintings, but again remained true to his style. Maquet did not want to enclose his painting in a certain framework, outlined by anyone.

Turkish coffee shop

And then there was a trip to Tunisia with the artists Paul Klee and Louis Moillet. There, admiring the exotic nature, he finds inspiration for his best paintings. Colors on them become especially saturated, shapes are distorted, due to the sharp contrast Macke manages to fully reflect the proper intensity of emotion and expression.

Couple at a garden table

When World War I began, Macke volunteered at the front and was killed 2 months later. He was only 27 years old.

Goodbye

One of Mac's last and most poignant paintings is called “Farewell,” and it's a shame that the meeting and return was never meant to happen.

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