Waterside Promenade
1914
August Macke captured a fleeting moment of city life in this vibrant sketch, likely depicting people strolling along a riverbank just before the outbreak of World War I. The loose, scribbly lines and washes of bright green, red, and blue give the scene a dreamlike, hurried energy, typical of German Expressionism. Tragically, Macke died in combat only months after creating works like this in 1914, making these lively scenes of everyday joy some of his final artistic statements. The figures in bowler hats seem to wander through a colorful, almost abstract dreamscape of urban life.