Children and sunny trees 1913

Curator: What first catches my eye is the overall mood—dreamlike, definitely… a sort of hazy, sun-drenched afternoon nap. Editor: Exactly! A reverie. I think that feeling has everything to do with the color palette; all earthy greens and burnt oranges. Let’s bring our listeners into the scene. We're looking at "Children and Sunny Trees" by August Macke, completed around 1913. It’s currently housed at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. Curator: So interesting how he blends those traditional landscape themes, but imbues them with such raw, almost Fauvist brushstrokes. There’s a visible flattening of space, right? The background houses feel almost… stacked. Editor: Good eye. I think that simplified geometry enhances a sense of innocence and also taps into something deeper—like a primal connection with nature and a longing for simpler times. Curator: Mmh. Consider the symbolic weight of the trees. Trees are such enduring symbols in art, representing growth, interconnectedness, the cycles of life and death, you name it. They are absolutely fundamental here, aren’t they? Almost totemic. Editor: Totally, the trees here feel less like naturalistic elements, more like guardians watching over the children, almost like archetypal figures or presences within their inner lives. And it looks to me, that maybe he included other elements like a house that can symbolize the search for a familiar home as opposed to an environment with big transitions like these of the industrial age? Curator: Oh! It does lead me to ask, what did these colours mean to the people in the early 1900's, were the earthy colours more representative of the natural human experience rather than now when they could possibly mean nostalgic yearning? Editor: Interesting questions, which leads me to wonder what is the weight of this image. In other words, What if we consider "Children and Sunny Trees" as a snapshot, an imprint, perhaps? I feel Macke bottled this memory in vivid colors to defy time! Curator: Maybe art becomes about these moments in the end—not just documenting, but about conjuring and safeguarding a sentiment, or an age or feeling forevermore! Editor: Very well said. It’s been a delight untangling all these interesting ideas and emotions woven in by August Macke's brush. Thank you!