Frauenkopf 1911

Alexej von Jawlensky made this striking "Frauenkopf" painting with oil on board. Look at how the face is built up from discrete daubs of colour, a kind of mosaic of feeling. There is a gorgeous tension here between the very expressive, gestural brushstrokes and the iconic, almost mask-like quality of the image. You can see how Jawlensky has used thick paint to create texture, especially in the hair and around the edges of the face, adding a tactile dimension to the work. The blocks of colour, like the magenta on the cheek, feel both arbitrary and deeply felt. I think it’s in these raw marks where we feel closest to Jawlensky’s touch. The legacy of Van Gogh is palpable here, but Jawlensky forges his own path, transforming the language of expressionism into something uniquely his own. It's a reminder that art is always an ongoing dialogue.