Two Girls 1913

August Macke made this painting, "Two Girls," with oil on canvas. The brushstrokes are like little dabs of color, building up the forms and the space in such a way that everything seems to vibrate. Look at that swirl of blue above the girls' heads – is it a building, the sky, or just pure energy? And notice how the colors aren't just descriptive, they're expressive; that dark red is moody and intense, setting the emotional tone. The texture is alive with the movement of the brush, and the whole thing shimmers with light. The flowers at the bottom are a riot of color, little explosions of joy. It reminds me a bit of Van Gogh, that same intensity and love of paint, but Macke has his own way of seeing. It’s like he's inviting us into a world that's both familiar and totally new.