Mystical Head, Head Of A Girl 1918

Here's a mystical head by Alexej von Jawlensky, built up of flat planes of colour. I imagine him, brush in hand, stepping back and forth to observe how the colours play off each other. It is interesting how he uses blocks of colour to build up the form of the face. Blues, yellows, pinks, and reds come together to animate the sitter. There is this amazing teal that spreads out from under the nose, across the cheek, to the edge of the frame. It's an expressionistic, almost mask-like face. I can't help thinking about Matisse, and how Jawlensky uses colour in such a bold way, not to represent reality, but to express something deeper, some kind of truth, or feeling, or a sense of presence. It reminds me that painting is an embodied form of expression. Artists are in an ongoing conversation through time. Each inspires the other's creativity. It embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.