Parkway 1914

August Macke made this painting, Parkway, with oil on canvas, but the exact date isn’t known. The marks are like stabs of color. Look how he puts greens and yellows next to each other to create a feeling of dappled light filtering through the trees. It’s not so much about representing the parkway exactly, but more about capturing a mood. The thing about this painting is the surface. It’s not trying to trick you into thinking it’s anything other than what it is: paint on canvas. See the thick strokes? They don’t blend perfectly. Macke lets the physicality of the paint do its thing. The strokes create the image, and the image is made of strokes. Take that woman’s hat; it’s got this chunky, almost architectural quality. Each dab of paint feels deliberate, but also kind of impulsive, like he's working fast and letting the paint lead the way. Macke was part of the German Expressionist group, Der Blaue Reiter. Wassily Kandinsky was another member. They were both interested in the spiritual possibilities of abstraction. It’s like they’re saying, “Hey, art can be about feeling and expression, not just about copying what we see.”