Self-Portrait 1911

Curator: Look at this powerful self-portrait. Painted in 1911 by Alexej von Jawlensky, a key figure in German Expressionism, the work is a striking example of his early explorations of color and form in oil. Editor: My first thought? Intensity. Those unwavering blue eyes against the almost lurid palette of yellows, reds, and greens… It feels confrontational, almost a challenge. Curator: Jawlensky, along with other Expressionists, was deeply influenced by movements like Fauvism and sought to express inner emotional states rather than depicting external reality. The painting itself was produced in a pivotal pre-war period for German society and a time when self-exploration and spiritual questioning in art became more important for many artists. Editor: Exactly. It's as if the colors themselves are symbols. Yellow for enlightenment perhaps, the red speaking to passion and even a raw, vulnerable energy. What’s interesting to me is that with his focus on symbolic representation, Jawlensky eschews some of the visual shortcuts of expressionism—we don't have wildly distorted features. Curator: True. His move toward abstraction, seen later in his "Mystical Heads" series, wasn’t fully realized here. He still anchors the painting with recognizably representational features, and indeed this piece gives art historians a clear record of the artists appearance at the time. The formal attire may also reflect something about his social status. Editor: Perhaps it underscores the tension between societal expectations and the turmoil roiling within, beautifully encapsulated by that fixed gaze. The work also demonstrates that through images we reveal shared histories and anxieties which echo and ripple into our present. Curator: A potent combination of artistic introspection and external realities shaped its creation, a painting that stands as a testament to a specific moment and a deeply individual exploration of selfhood within shifting historical tides. Editor: I concur. Jawlensky's bold use of colour combined with its emotional tenor really cements the image in your mind; you walk away still pondering that penetrating stare.