Gorge 1914

August Macke made this watercolor called ‘Gorge’ with paper and brushstrokes that feel light as air. What I like about this painting is its freshness, that nothing feels overworked, and you get a real sense that he was painting in situ, catching an impression of the landscape in front of him. See how the colors are layered, almost like translucent glazes? He's using the white of the paper to create luminosity, and the washes of green, brown, and pink flow into each other, creating a feeling of depth and atmosphere. There’s a kind of graphic quality to the shapes, where he outlines the rockface with dark brown. It's like he's building up the image from flat planes of color, a bit like Cézanne, but with a lighter touch. Macke reminds me of other early expressionists like Franz Marc, who were trying to capture the spiritual essence of nature through color and form. Like them, he leaves enough unsaid and welcomes the viewer's imagination to participate.