At the Garden Table

At the Garden Table features a charming scene with a couple relaxing in a shaded spot besides their house.

The style is typical of its creator, August Macke, who uses a bright colour scheme which persisted throughout his career. The detail on his figures is kept to a minimum which would always leave us intrigued as to their identity whilst also avoiding them taking too much of the focus from the rest of the scene. The smartly dressed gentleman appears to be reading a newspaper whilst his elegant partner relaxes beneath her parasol. The house is a bright yellow, adding to the feeling of warmth in this scene.

Tones of green and brown are then used to shape the more wild elements of their garden, sweeping across the scene to invade them within this partially shaded setting. There are then additional touches of blue to add further interest to their home. With limited detail we must guess as to what they represent, though it is probably doors and window shutters. The original painting is now believed be a part of a private collection and, as such, might be less easily accessible than some of his other famous paintings.

August Macke is best known for his figurative portraits in restrained palettes where just a few colours would be used. He was a key member of the rise in prominence of German art at around the start of the 20th century with many expressionist or fauvist artists creating bright paintings which disguised the political and societal turmoil being experienced across Europe at that time. Art can be an escape sometimes, where as on other occasions it can be used to increase focus on events in the real world.