Author Description

<p><b>August Macke</b> (1887-1914) quickly ascended to notoriety, only to be <b>killed at the tender age of 27 at the start of World War I</b>. Despite his brief career, the artist left a remarkable oeuvre in his wake, his <b>obsessions with color</b> reflecting aspects of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, and Expressionism.<br> <br> Through his engagement with these diverse schools of art, Macke assimilated disparate influences and approaches into a style entirely his own. Grouped with the <b>Blaue Reiter</b> movement, but eschewing the mysticism that often pervaded the works of its artists, Macke returned time and again to <b>color-led interpretations of beauty</b>, whether the kaleidoscopic watercolor Bright Women in front of the Hat Shop (1913), or the shimmering hues of Lady in a Green Jacket (1913). These colors reached their zenith in 1914 when <b>Macke traveled with Klee and Moilliet to Tunis</b> and became acquainted with North African light.<br> <br> With leading examples from his vivid painterly world, this book introduces us to Macke's short but influential career as a <b>pioneering Expressionist</b>. From cheerful scenes of parks, zoos, and promenades to his final major work, ominously titled Farewell (1914), we explore a remarkable talent for visual impact and an intense pursuit of the <b>emotional possibilities of color</b>.</p>