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| Alexej von Jawlensky
was a Russian artist who spent most of his life in Germany. Following
art studies in Munich with Wassily Kandinsky, Jawlensky traveled widely
in Europe. In 1905 his work was exhibited in Paris at the Salon d’Automne
along with paintings by the Fauves:
Henri Matisse, Raoul Dufy, André Derain, and Maurice de Vlaminck. Red Blossom was painted in a period when Jawlensky’s work was characterized by interwoven colors and heavy black lines. The influences of Kandinsky and woodcuts are strong, and yet elements such as the cut-off head, the frontal view, the simplified form, and the reluctance to lose the form entirely to abstraction appear even at this early date. In 1905 the artist wrote, “Apples, tress, human faces are for me only suggestions to see something else in them – the life of color, seized with a lover’s passion.” Although his forms changed, Jawlensky’s passion for color demonstrated convincingly in this work remained constant until the end of his life.  (For Grades 3-5) Look at the colors in this artwork. Which one do you see first? Where do you see this color? Does this portrait look real or abstract? Provide evidence. Did the artist use warm or cool colors in this portrait? How do these colors make you feel? If you were telling the story about this artwork, what would the story be about? If you were going to paint a portrait, who would it be of? What colors would you use in your portrait? Why? |
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Alexej von Jawlensky Russia, 1864-1941 Red Blossom Oil on board, 1910 Bequest of Earle W. Grant 1972:46 © San Diego Museum of Art |
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