Still Life with a Purple Bowl 1912

Alexej von Jawlensky made this small, potent still life with oil paint in a thick, expressive style. Look at those vivid blues, purples, greens, and reds, all held together with a kind of restless energy, almost like the paint is still moving. I imagine Jawlensky in his studio, pushing the paint around, trying to capture not just what he sees but what he feels. He's part of a lineage of painters, like Matisse and the German Expressionists, who aren't afraid to crank up the color and let the brushstrokes do the talking. I love the way that purple bowl, rendered with such directness, anchors the composition. It's a simple shape but so full of life. Painters always bounce off each other; it's a long, ongoing conversation. And this painting is a great example of how much can be said with just a few, well-chosen gestures.