Woman in Park

Lady in a Park, as it is also sometimes known, was completed by August Macke in July 1914 and is now a part of the extraordinary collection of MoMA in the US.

MoMA is believed to own five of the artist's works in total and remains perhaps the finest art galleries in the world. With a growing interest in more modern art forms within the younger generation, it seems inevitable that this institution will retain, even build, on its success of the last few decades. The museum is fully aware of the impact of German Expressionists around the turn of the century and many other notable contributors to this period are also included within their permanent collection. See also Walking in the Park and Sunny Way for other examples of how the artist focused on the lives of Germans in every day situations during the very early 20th century.

This was an artist who loved to depict scenes of leisure during one of his more prolific periods as a painter. He created many paintings which focus on classically dressed women making their way around a forest or local park. Sometimes they would be on their own, and other times they would be out with a partner or group of friends. He also captured children too, but less frequently. He loved to combine humans with nature, and local parks seemed to be an easy way of doing this whilst living in busy cities. His style was always to use relatively little detail anywhere in his paintings, perhaps only on the face but not always.

Despite his short career, Macke was able to leave behind an oeuvre which can be considered varied in terms of content and also particularly impactful on both German and European art as a whole. This was a time of turbulence within Europe but artists like Macke brought bright colours to liven our mood. He always portrayed women respectfully and often used the same models again and again, just experimenting with different settings and poses. The artist also painted scenes of people out eating, be it in their gardens or perhaps in a more formal occasion in the centre of the city.