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Lot Essay
Executed in 1912, Vor der Regatta dates from the years just after August Macke and his wife Elisabeth had moved back to Bonn, where her family was based, from Tegernsee near Munich. This change of situation had an immediate impact on Macke's life and his work. While Munich was full of artists at the time and a number of them lived in the region south of the city, Bonn was a very calm little town, and this made it possible for Macke to have a studio in which he could work for the very first time.
During this time, Macke's subject matter in his paintings and works on paper was mainly found in people on the street, strolling, passing by, visitors of the garden cafés, the zoological garden and the theatre. While in 1912 Macke executed a number of oils that are now considered very important, many of his sketches, watercolours and drawings were of subjects not related to specifis paintings. Thus, while the angular style and the juxtaposition of colour fields recall his celebrated paintings of people by shop windows, Vor der Regatta stands as a unique work in his oeuvre.
1912 was a crucial year for Macke. From December 1911 to January 1912, Galerie Thannhauser in Munich had shown the Ausstellung der Redaktion Der Blaue Reiter. Amongst the 14 artists represented were Rousseau, Campendonck, Marc, Münter and Kandinsky. Macke himself had three works on display. Later in the same year, another mlestone exhibition that included his work took place: the Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne. Macke not only exhibited, but also was involved in the organisation of this unique event, reflecting his increasing importance and recognition at the forefront of the German avant garde.
During this time, Macke's subject matter in his paintings and works on paper was mainly found in people on the street, strolling, passing by, visitors of the garden cafés, the zoological garden and the theatre. While in 1912 Macke executed a number of oils that are now considered very important, many of his sketches, watercolours and drawings were of subjects not related to specifis paintings. Thus, while the angular style and the juxtaposition of colour fields recall his celebrated paintings of people by shop windows, Vor der Regatta stands as a unique work in his oeuvre.
1912 was a crucial year for Macke. From December 1911 to January 1912, Galerie Thannhauser in Munich had shown the Ausstellung der Redaktion Der Blaue Reiter. Amongst the 14 artists represented were Rousseau, Campendonck, Marc, Münter and Kandinsky. Macke himself had three works on display. Later in the same year, another mlestone exhibition that included his work took place: the Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne. Macke not only exhibited, but also was involved in the organisation of this unique event, reflecting his increasing importance and recognition at the forefront of the German avant garde.