August Macke might not be too famous outside of Germany, but his art is definitely noteworthy
In an exhibition of his work I got to see quite a few of his creations. While some might seem underwhelming in terms of technique or complexity, I think one always has to look at artist's creations in their contemporary context. Many ideas that we wouldn't think about twice have first made an appearance back then- so they were at times new and revolutionary.
Looking longer at paintings is also a good way of getting to understand the painter better. One almost gets to see the thought processes that went into it. What stands out to me from these works is the play with shadow and light which make the paintings so lively. He also seems to have had a good understanding of colors and how they interact with one another. Unfortunately they are quite dull on the pictures here as compared to when they were on display in relatively dark rooms and lit up by spotlights.
Enjoy!
His wife was portrayed many times and was to him an inspiration and his muse
There was also an oriental phase from which he got much inspiration for some of his (I believe) later works.