Parkway 1914

August Macke made this painting, Parkway, with oil on canvas. I see the way Macke built up this painting with layers and layers of colours! The gestures! The scene almost shimmers, don’t you think? I can see him, brush in hand, stepping back, squinting, and then lunging forward again, adding another layer of seeing. I love the way that foreground figure with the white hat is painted! I’m drawn to that little patch of blue near the middle, like a note hanging in the air. It’s not about getting it “right” in some photographic sense, but about getting it right in terms of feeling. Painters are always in conversation with each other, riffing off each other's ideas, and pushing the medium in new directions. And when we look at paintings, we join that conversation too! Each viewer brings their own experiences and perspectives to the work, and that's part of what makes painting so exciting!