Painting: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1A5C_GLMHEgaFlWM0ZqQWFZSXM/view?usp=sharing

“Lady in a Park” by August Macke is an example of modernism and expressionism. This oil painting was created in 1914 by Macke who is a German expressionist. He was a member of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a German expressionist group that also includes Wassily Kandinsky, Albert Bloch, and Marianne von Werefkin. Modernism is a movement in history from later 1800s to early 1900s that rejected the ideologies of Enlightenment and the idea of realism, especially when it came to art and expressionism is an example of this. Usually expressionist artwork are exaggerated to show emotions, ideas, or moods. It focuses more on subjective than objective. “Lady in a Park” is example of expressionism with its colorful background and an indefinite background. It displays a woman on a path with some trees and grass surrounding her. Macke uses some color that you would not normally see in park background like orange and a plum purple. The background is also not that detailed, rather it is constructed by bigger shapes. The woman is on the more unrealistic side. Her features are not as defined, for example her face. Her mouth is a little hard to see, you cannot know for sure if her mouth is smiling, neutral, or frowning. In addition, her arms and hands also seem animalistic to me. The sleeves with the yellow and black dots remind me of an animal pattern and her hands seem more claw-like. All of these elements aid in provoking emotions and feelings in a person. When I look at this painting, I feel a little sad since the background is a little dark in some areas and with her non-specific expression face, I perceive her as a little sullen. Her head is slightly tilted and she seems to be thinking about something as she stroll through the park. However, the random burst of brighter colors like the yellow and green makes me feel like she will be okay and there will be a good outcome for her.