Mystical head 1917

Alexej von Jawlensky painted this head with oil, building up the form through a mosaic of distinct colour planes. Look at how the face is composed of flat shapes of pink, blue, and yellow. Each brushstroke feels considered, almost geometric, yet the overall effect is surprisingly emotive. I love the way he simplifies the features to their most essential forms, giving the painting an iconic, almost mask-like quality. The black outlines accentuate this feeling of simplification. The texture of the paint is smooth and matte, with no visible brushstrokes to distract from the purity of color. The way the colours melt into each other reminds me a little of the work of Emil Nolde, who also had a knack for using saturated colours to create otherworldly effects. Like Nolde, Jawlensky's work embraces the mysterious and enigmatic, reminding us that art is always open to interpretation.