August Macke was born in Germany, near Bonn, on January 3rd 1887. He studied art in the Art Academy of Düsseldorf. After his studies, he traveled around Europe and met with some famous painters of his time: Demaunay in Paris and Corinth in Berlin. After his military service, he got married in 1909 and then moved to Switzerland where he became friends with Franz Marc. He traveled as well in North Africa and was influenced by the colors of African settings.
August Macke was only 27 years old when he died. He left a collection of over 500 paintings. His paintings describe every day life scenes. He was influenced by meeting with "fauvist" painters such as Marc, Delaunay or Matisse. He was also influenced by Cubism, but its works have always been characterized by some features of German Expressionism.