August Macke (1887-1914). German expressionist painter and a prominent member of the group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). He lived in a time when the arts in Germany were undergoing tumultuous and innovative developments and the avant-garde art movement was beginning. Much of his relatively short life was spent in Bonn, although he toured Tunisia and France, where he was confronted with the works of the Impressionists and Postimpressionists. He was friends with Kandinsky and Franz Marc, with whom he shared aesthetics, mystique and an interest in the symbols of the art group Der Blaue Reiter. His works (particularly those which arose after his return from Tunisia) are Expressionist - they resign on reproducing reality but rather try to capture the atmosphere and mood (eg. The painting View into a Lane). August Macke died on the front line during the First World War.