Garden Restaurant 1912

August Macke made this painting, Garden Restaurant, with oil on canvas, but when it was made is unknown. Macke’s marks feel both considered and incredibly free. I love the way he uses color here, like in the lower left, where red meets olive green, creating a real buzz. You get a sense that he’s not just representing a scene, but also inventing it as he goes along. It’s like he's saying, ‘I'm going to make this world and you're going to look at it.’ The paint itself has a beautiful, almost dry texture. You can see the brushstrokes, the way the paint catches the light, giving the whole piece a sense of movement and life. Look at the guy reading the newspaper in the foreground, the way he’s painted the paper is so economical. It is just a few strokes of white, but they convey everything you need to know. It reminds me a little of Manet, but with an added punch. Like he’s saying, ‘let's turn up the volume’. For me, Macke represents art as this ongoing conversation, a vibrant exchange of ideas across time.