"the spirit of the house" 1910

thanks http://www.the-athenaeum.org. PD

"Hello.  I notice you are looking at the table.  I think you should look at me. Hi. Right here."
Here we see the German artist August Macke (German, 1887-1914) in the tail end of his Post-Impressionist / Fauvist period, right before he becomes one of the powers within the great Expressionist Group "The Blue Rider (Die Blaue Reiter)."  Longtime Museum friends know of my love for his fellow Blue Rider, Franz Marc.
What's Post-Impressionist here?  It's the mix of naturalistic form with color that's realistic but pushed to the limit.  You look at this and say, Yes, the ceramicware and the cat look just like that.  But do they really?  Does your pitcher glow with such a purplish shine?  Are the orange patches on your cat that vibrant?  This piece is alive and full of spirit, with the color itself serving to say for Macke: "I had a good day in the studio today, I enjoyed myself, and my cat was very insistent and funny."