1. Alexej Jawlensky, Jünglingskopf (Portrait of a Young Man), 1911, Oil on cardboard, 53,5 x 49,5 cm, Kunstmuseum Basel, Stiftung Im Obersteg, Deposit Kunstmuseum Basel, 2004. Photo: Kunstmuseum Basel, Martin P. Bühler
Alexej von Jawlensky: the landscape of the face
In the town of Humlebæk (Denmark), the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art presents an exploration of Alexej von Jawlensky's late artistic journey. This exhibition offers an insight into the Russian German painter's evolution, showcasing his transition from expressive landscapes to the abstract and spiritual portrayal of the human figure.
The exhibition is structured to reflect the three significant phases of Jawlensky's career: his early years in Munich, his transformative period during World War I in Switzerland, and his mature works characterized by abstract facial representations. This chronological approach allows for a comprehensive understanding of his artistic development and the philosophical underpinnings of his work.
Jawlensky's work, often overshadowed by contemporaries, is thus brought to the forefront in this exhibition. Through approximately 60 pieces, visitors can trace the artist's path towards a unique visual language that blends color, form, and spirituality.
As visitors navigate through the exhibition, they are invited to contemplate the profound questions that Jawlensky grappled with: How can the essence of the human spirit be captured through art? What is the role of color and form in expressing inner truths?
From Russian roots to German modernism
Born on March 13, 1864, in Torzhok, Russia, Alexej Georgewitsch von Jawlensky hailed from a family with a strong military background. Initially pursuing a military career, his passion for art led him to study at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. There, he became associated with the realist painter Ilya Repin and met Marianne von Werefkin.
In 1896, Jawlensky moved to Munich, Germany, he. studied under Anton Ažbe and formed connections with artists like Wassily Kandinsky. Together, they co-founded the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (New Artists' Association of Munich) and later became key figures in the Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) movement, which emphasized spiritual expression in art.
Influenced by movements such as Fauvism and Expressionism, he developed a distinctive style characterized by bold colors and simplified forms. His work often focused on the human face, which he saw as a window to the soul.
During World War I, Jawlensky was exiled to Switzerland, where he began creating his renowned series of "Mystical Heads" and "Saviour's Faces." These works reflected his deepening interest in spirituality and the inner essence of humanity. In 1924, he co-founded the group Die Blaue Vier (The Blue Four) with Kandinsky, Lyonel Feininger, and Paul Klee, further cementing his influence in modern art.
Despite suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis in his later years, which eventually hindered his ability to paint, Jawlensky continued to create until 1937. He passed away on March 15, 1941, in Wiesbaden, Germany, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire.
Through "Variations" and "Meditations"
2. Alexej Jawlensky, Abstrakter Kopf: Mysterium (Abstract Head: Mystery), 1925, Oil on cardboard with canvas structure, 42,5 x 32,5 cm, Kunstmuseum Basel, Stiftung Im Obersteg, Deposit Kunstmuseum Basel, 2004. Photo: Kunstmuseum Basel, Martin P. Bühler
The outbreak of World War I forced Alexej von Jawlensky, a Russian-born artist living in Germany, into exile in Switzerland. Confined to a limited workspace, Jawlensky began producing a series of paintings centered on the same motif seen from his window. This practice gave rise to his famous “Variations” series, an exploration of repeated forms with subtle changes that unfold new emotional and spiritual meanings in each iteration.
Unlike simple reproductions, these “Variations” represent a investigation into how slight shifts in color and shape can evoke different responses and reveal hidden depths within a single subject. This method of serial experimentation became the hallmark of Jawlensky’s work, enabling him to go beyond traditional portraiture or landscape into a territory where abstraction, spirituality, and emotion intertwine.
Deeply influenced by the spiritual resonance of Russian Orthodox icons, Jawlensky aimed to express the soul’s essence through simplified, almost abstracted faces. He saw portraiture not just as likeness, but as a sacred act, a way to visualize universal spiritual truths.
The "Meditations", a testament of endurance and spirituality
3. Alexej Jawlensky, Meditation. Ein Brausen kam einher (Meditation. A roaring sound came closer), 1935, Oil on paper on cardboard, 19 x 12,4 cm, Galerie von Vertes, Zurich, Photo: Walter Baser, Munich
The exhibition also showcases Jawlensky’s late works from the 1930s, created under difficult conditions. As arthritis ravaged his hands and the Nazi regime censored his work, Jawlensky’s physical capacity diminished, yet his creative spirit remained undiminished.
Using both hands to hold the brush, he produced the “Meditations”, a series of small paintings featuring highly simplified facial forms outlined with strong black lines, often resembling a cross.
Jawlensky produced over a thousand such works, each one a profound act of faith and perseverance. He described painting these works as a deeply emotional experience, “working with ecstasy and with tears,” aware that his ability to paint would soon vanish.
These late pieces have had an outsized influence on subsequent generations of artists. For example, the American artist James Turrell credits Jawlensky’s intense color work as a source of inspiration. Composer and avant-garde artist John Cage, who collected several “Meditations“ in his career, even considered Jawlensky a mentor through his art, famously writing to him about the impact these paintings had on his own musical creativity.
Today, Jawlensky’s approach to repetition, abstraction, and spiritual expression continues to inspire contemporary artists. Danish painter Alexander Tovborg, who contributed an essay to the exhibition catalogue of the Louisiana, is among those who engage with Jawlensky’s legacy of combining color, form, and meditative practice.
From his early explorations in landscape and portraiture to the profound serial meditations on the human face, Jawlensky’s work invites viewers to look beyond mere appearances and engage with the deeper essence of human experience.
The exhibition not only highlights the innovative formal experiments that placed Jawlensky at the forefront of modernism but also celebrates his commitment to art as a path to transcendence, even amid exile, physical suffering, and political oppression. His “Variations” and “Meditations” challenge conventional ideas of uniqueness in art, embracing repetition as a means of spiritual reflection and creative renewal.
Informations about the exhibition
Place: Lousiana Museum of Modern Art
Date: 30.1.2025 – 1.6.2025
Curators: Mathias Ussing Seeberg
Ticket: Available at the front desk of the museum
Informations about the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
GI Strandvej 13
3050 Humlebeak
Phone: +45 49 19 07 19
Mail: mail@louisiana.dk