August Macke: "Four girls" (1912/13), Original Dietz-Replik

Brilliant yellow, luminous red, and vibrant blue: the intensity and unique luminosity of the colors are typical of August Macke's work. In his paintings, Macke depicts an intact world, with a preference for people. As a person and as a painter, August Macke was completely influenced by Rhenish cheerfulness and is perhaps precisely for this reason today one of the most famous German painters of the 20th century. Macke was a member of the "Blue Rider" artists' association and the most important representative of Rhenish Expressionism. He is considered the greatest German color talent of his generation. But his drawings, sketches, and drafts also establish him as one of the greats of 20th-century art. August Macke, born on January 3, 1887, in Meschede, began his studies at the Düsseldorf School of Applied Arts and Academy, but dropped out early. On trips to France, Italy, and the Netherlands, he primarily studied the Impressionists. He exhibited several times with the artists of the "Blue Rider," whom he had known since 1911, and contributed to the almanac of the same name. Financial support was provided by his patron Bernhard Koehler, an uncle of his wife Elisabeth.