Large variation 1915

Alexej von Jawlensky made this painting with oil on cardboard and he wasn't afraid of a little visual discord. The colours are applied in these discrete, almost geometric areas, like a jigsaw where the pieces barely fit. Looking closely, you can see how the paint has been applied in a really physical way. Jawlensky doesn't try to hide his brushstrokes; instead, he lets them stand out, adding texture and depth to the painting. Notice the way he layers the colours in the top left corner, the contrast between the pinks, blues and greens. There’s a tension between the flatness of the surface and the depth of the colours, which is really intriguing. Jawlensky was part of the Expressionist movement in Germany, and you can see how artists like Kandinsky were an influence, but you can also see how he stands apart. Ultimately it's about how a painting lives between thought and feeling. There are no wrong answers.