VON JAWLENSKY, ALEXEJ
1867 Twer/Moscow–1941 Wiesbaden

Title: Mittlere Meditation, 1936 / VII / N. 14.
Date: 1936.
Technique: Oil on colouring paper.
Mounting: Mounted on Bristol board.
Measurement: 19 x 12.5 cm.
Notation: Monogrammed and dated lower left and right: A.J. 36. Inscribed and dated on the inside of the passepartout: VII 1936. Signed, dated and inscribed verso top and center: A. Jawlensky VII 1936 N.14 I.A. Also inscribed here by a hand other than that of the artist's: M11630.


A certificate from the Alexej von Jawlensky Archive, Mergoscia, dated 13.01.26 is available for the work. The work will be included in the catalogue raisonné currently in preparation.



Provenance:
- - Hans Ostertag Collection, Frankfurt/Main (according to the consignor)

- Private collection, South Germany (by inheritance)



- The series „Meditationen“ marks the zenith of his search for mental depth and formal reduction

- The intimate work capivates with its reduced design language and a vivid contemplative effect

- Clear dark-glowing colours



Alexej von Jawlensky is regarded as one of the most significant figures of Expressionism within the artistic circle known as ‘Der Blaue Reiter’. Following military training, he studied in St Petersburg under Ilya Repin before moving to Munich in 1896. There, he engaged intensively with the artistic movements of his time and was profoundly influenced by the works of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. As a co-founder of the “Neue Künstlervereinigung München” and through close collaboration with Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter, Jawlensky developed a distinctive visual language. Characteristic of his work is the reduction of form in favour of heightened colour intensity, intended to emphasise not the visible but the spiritual. His art occupies a key position between figuration and the tendency towards abstraction and ranks among the central positions of classical modernism.

The work on offer belongs to the artist’s extensive series of head portraits, which Jawlensky termed “Meditations” from 1937 onwards. Against a dark, almost solid background, a highly simplified, frontal head form emerges. The facial features are reduced to a few rhythmically placed lines: bright red strokes on the forehead create focused accents, whilst violet and blue lines below the cheeks structure the form. This small, intimate work is characterised by a translucent, glazed colour scheme in places. The structure of the ground remains visible and stands in a tense contrast to the coloured flashes of light. At the same time, the composition exudes a remarkable inner calm that impressively underscores the meditative character of the series. Within Jawlensky’s oeuvre, the ‘Meditations’ mark the high point and culmination of his artistic development. Shaped by illness and seclusion, they condense the form into a timeless symbol of inner contemplation and lend the face an iconic, almost spiritual presence.



Estimated shipping costs for this lot:
The lot is unsuitable for parcel shipping. Transport only by shipping company after consultation following the auction.

additional shipping insurance


Shipping insurance

up to total invoice amount of 25,000 Euros: max. 41.65 Euro

over a total invoice amount of 25,000 Euros: 1.8 o/oo


USA by individual arrangement after the auction.




#Alexej von Jawlensky #Expressionism #Russia #Modern Art #1930s #Head #Oil #Works on paper #Modern Art.