August Macke Fine Art Prints - Custom-made (Image in pink, in Portrait format)

August Macke born 3.1.1887 in Meschede - died (fallen) 26.9.1914 in Perthes-les-Hurlus/Champagne

The German painter August Macke was one of the most outstanding artists from the circle "Der blaue Reiter" and a very talented representative of Expressionism. After dropping out of high school, he studied from 1904-1906 at the Düsseldorf Art school. Macke broke off his studies and from then on devoted himself to the free artistic activity, initially as a stage designer. His first trips took him from 1905 to Italy, Holland and Belgium. During a first Staying in Paris in 1907, Macke got involved with paintings of Monet, Degas, Pissaro and Manet. Later he became a pupil of Corinth in Berlin. During his second stay in Paris in 1908, the artists van Gogh, Cezanne and Seurat exerted influence on Mackes artistic development.

In 1909 he married Elisabeth Gerhardt. A year later it came in Munich to the first meeting with Franz Marc, from which a lifelong friendship developed. He joines the group "Der Blaue Reiter" founded in Munich in 1911 by Kandinsky, Marc and Münter. In 1912, he had met Paul Klee for the first time. Macke had his first exhibition with three pictures in the group "Der Blaue Reiter". In 1913 Macke had his first contact with Delaunay, who gave him important artistic impulses.

Macke now developed his own artistic pictorial language: "Nature must be within myself.” During a visit by Paul Klee, the idea arose to take a trip to Tunis. In April 1914, Klee, Macke and Moilliet set off for North Africa. Due to the intensity of light and inspired by the oriental colors Macke created a variety of watercolors and drawings.

Main themes of his work were nudes, couples and passers-by, dancers, river, sailing and sea scenes and other landscapes. Macke led a happy life, always surrounded by friends and patrons.
In his style of painting, the joy of colored expression, its dynamism in the picture, vibrating and full of life and liveliness. Light effects and shadow spots give him a thrilling tension.

After the outbreak of war, Macke is drafted. "The war is of nameless sadness. You're gone before you realize it," he wrote in one of his last letters. On 26.9.1914 Macke falls on the battlefield in Champagne. In the obituary, his friend Franz Marc writes: "He has the brightest of all of us in color - and gave the purest sound, as clear and bright as his whole being has been".

Text © by Jürgen Banse, 2014