Abstract Head,Gold and Pink 1931

Alexej von Jawlensky’s painted this “Abstract Head, Gold and Pink” using oil paint to build up layers of shifting form. You can almost imagine him thinking and rethinking the painting as he went, as if the face kept dissolving and reforming in front of him. The pink and gold hues create this delicate light, with the faintest outline of facial features—the long red line of the nose, the magenta cheek, and the orange mouth. These simple shapes work together to create an almost mystical presence. It reminds me a bit of Hilma af Klint, with her interest in the spiritual in abstract form. The subtle modulations of color and the simplified forms really create a sense of inner depth, like a mask turned inside out. It's like Jawlensky is inviting us to contemplate the essence of being, with each stroke of the brush. Painters are always teaching each other new ways of seeing and thinking.