Young Girl with Peonies 1909

Alexej von Jawlensky made Young Girl with Peonies with oil paint sometime in the early 20th century. This is painting as feeling, as a gut reaction. Check out the mark-making - it's all about these short, loaded brushstrokes. The textures are so alive, especially in that explosive hat, where the reds and blues fight it out. The green skin… it's not about what’s real, but what feels true. Jawlensky builds up the layers, not to hide the process, but to flaunt it. The brushstrokes are the story, each one a little pulse of energy. Look how the red of her coat sort of bleeds into the dark ground behind her. Is she dissolving, disappearing into the night? Or is she pushing forward, daring you to really see her? Jawlensky reminds me of Gabriele Münter, another artist who wasn't afraid to let her feelings run wild on the canvas. Art’s not about answers, it's about the questions that keep us looking.