Inner courtyard of house in St. Germain 1914

August Macke made this watercolour, 'Inner courtyard of house in St. Germain', sometime before 1914. It’s a riot of colour, the kind of palette that feels like a dare – yellow, blue, orange, all bumping up against each other. I love the way Macke handles the paint here; it's so fluid, like he's chasing the light as much as the form. The way he renders the foliage above the house is especially evocative; dabs of colour create the impression of sunlight filtering through the leaves. The blue of the building facade feels almost like an interruption, pulling the eye back to a more grounded reality. This piece reminds me a little of Raoul Dufy, another artist who wasn't afraid to let colour sing. But Macke has a sweetness, a certain vulnerability, that’s all his own. Art's not about answers, but about the conversation, the back-and-forth, the endless possibilities.