A Glance Down an Alley - August Macke

A luminous watercolour by August Macke, capturing a sun-drenched Tunisian street through simplified planes of colour and light.

August Macke painted this work during his 1914 journey to Tunisia, a trip he undertook with Paul Klee and Louis Moilliet. This period proved transformative for his practice, as the North African light and colour palette shifted his approach to form and light. The watercolour captures a narrow street scene, rendered through simplified planes of colour rather than traditional perspective.

Macke uses a high-chroma palette to define the architecture. The deep blues of the shadows contrast with the warm yellows and oranges of the sun-drenched walls. A solitary figure in the foreground, dressed in a bright orange garment, provides a sense of scale and human presence within the quiet, enclosed space. The composition relies on the interplay of geometric shapes, with an arched doorway serving as a central framing device. The paint application is fluid, allowing the transparency of the medium to suggest the heat and atmosphere of the setting.

Unlike his earlier works, which often leaned toward the darker tones of German Expressionism, this piece demonstrates a move toward a more lyrical and luminous style. Macke focuses on the optical experience of the scene, prioritising the arrangement of colour blocks over precise detail. The work reflects his interest in the synthesis of light and structure, a pursuit cut short by his death in the First World War later that same year. This print captures the immediacy of his travel sketches, preserving the clarity and directness of his observation.