How does this artwork elucidate its Description?
The painting shows a number of girls playing among the trees on the edge of Lake Thun. A group placed closer together in the background corresponds to the girls in the foreground, depicted in front, back and side views. Macke emphasizes the perspective and dynamic structure by displaying the three figures cut off by the frame slightly obliquely and placing them one behind the other in depth.
However, the figurative aspect is clearly subordinate to the fleeting play of light and shadow and the constant change in tonality. The image of the girls completely blends with the environment. Man and nature are intertwined by the formal treatment and the loose brushwork that structures all the elements in the same way. Color dissolves all objects in a picturesque balance. The blue of the lake is continued in the girls' dresses. In their clothes, the cool blue contrasts with warm reds, yellows and browns, giving the composition a certain tension. Everything shows a well-considered structure. The various patches of color, including the white dresses, are carefully arranged. What counts is the overall impression of harmony between man and nature. This is reinforced by a suggestion of movement created by the segmented design. The pattern of the spots and the rhythm in the surfaces tends strongly towards abstraction.
Lake Thun