Garden on Lake Thun 1913

August Macke made this painting called "Garden on Lake Thun" with oil on canvas, but when? Sometime before his untimely death in the First World War. He's clearly having fun with color here, juxtaposing bright, almost artificial hues. It's like he's not trying to copy nature, but rather reimagine it. Look at how the blue mountains in the background contrast with the warmer tones in the foreground, creating a sense of depth that's both inviting and a little disorienting. The textures are smooth and flat, and the brushstrokes feel deliberate, almost like he's building the image one block of color at a time. What I love most is how Macke simplifies the forms, reducing trees and buildings to their essential shapes. This approach is very similar to that of Emil Nolde who explored color and form in similarly radical ways. It's a testament to the fact that art is less about what you see and more about how you see it.