August Robert Ludwig Macke (3 January 1887 – 26 September 1914) was a German Expressionist painter. He was one of the leading members of the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). Macke lived most of his creative life in Bonn, with the exception of a few periods spent at Lake Thun in Switzerland and various trips to Paris, Italy, the Netherlands and Tunisia. His career was cut short by his early death in the second month of the First World War at the front in Champagne, France. The above image is a self portrait 'with hat' from 1909.
Portrait of the artist's wife with hat (1909)
Macke made over 200 portraits of his wife Elisabeth - this one from the year they were married is a real stunner.
Street with Church in Kandern (1911)
A streets scene in a small German town in South West Germany. I'm seeing some influence of Munch here maybe.
Zoological Garden (1912)
Macke loved to paint these scenes in zoological gardens, with a special affinity for parrots (no doubt inspired by their strong colours).
Russian Ballet (1912)
It is not known which ballet Macke attended before he created his painting... perhaps it was Stravinsky's Petrushka.
Promenade (1913)
Park life was a recurring theme in Macke's oeuvre, and this is perhaps the best known one with that subject.....
The Lady in the Green Jacket (1913)
.... or is it this one? Both of them feature regularly in books and articles about the painter.
The Yellow Jacket (1913)
Although Macke is mainly remembered for his oil paintings, he was also keen on working with water colours. This one of his finest.
Two Woman before the Hat Shop (1913)
During his stay in Switzerland, Macke produced a series of paintings depicting women window shopping for hats. This is one of the less well known ones.
Woman with Parasol in Front of a Hat Shop (1914)
Hat shops seem to have had a consistent attraction on Macke, and this is perhaps the best in his series on that theme.
Market in Tunis (1914)
His trip to Tunisia resulted in more than a dozen paintings - this is one of the best for me.
People Meeting (1914)
One of the last paintings before the misnamed Great War started, the last happy time for a whole generation.
Farewell (1914)
This was his final creation, depicting the gloomy mood of a country going to war, a senseless war that would claim his life just weeks later.
Copyright statement: images all in public domain.
