Saviour's Face - Christ 1920

Alexej von Jawlensky created this 'Saviour's Face - Christ' with oil paint, probably in his studio. I love the floating lines and blocks of color. I can imagine him stepping back, squinting, turning the canvas, maybe even wiping off sections and beginning again. I wonder if he was listening to music while making it. The composition has a sense of rhythm. It's like the colors are dancing together on the canvas. Look at the black brushstrokes and the subtle pinks and greens and how they balance each other out. It almost reminds me of some of Marsden Hartley's portraits; or maybe he was looking at Kandinsky too, who knows? You know, artists are always in conversation, picking up and throwing around ideas and forms. What I like most is that it feels open, like he’s not trying to give us any answers, more like asking questions.