Alexej von Jawlensky

1864 - 1941

Alexej von Jawlensky primarily painted archetypal portraits in an increasingly abstract style, eventually reducing the face to simple geometric forms in contrasting colours.

Earlier on, his portraits, landscapes, and still lifes drew inspiration from Kandinsky—with whom he helped form “Der Blaue Reiter” (The Blue Rider)—as well as the Fauves (especially Matisse) and the Neo-Impressionists, particularly with respect to the use of vibrant color. As he adopted a progressively more Expressionist style, he began to focus solely on the human face as an object of religious meditation.