Gelbe Häuser 1909

Alexej von Jawlensky made 'Gelbe Hauser' with oil paint, and what hits you first is the dance between those yellows and the brooding blues above. It’s like he's wrestling with the light, trying to pin it down. Looking closer, you can see how thick the paint is, especially in those yellow walls. He’s really digging in there, almost sculpting the light with his brush, not just painting it. Check out the rooftops, that dark stippling of paint gives the impression of texture. It's like he wanted to create something solid, grounded, against that almost turbulent sky. Jawlensky was always searching for a spiritual dimension in his work, and you can see that here, that striving. It reminds me a bit of Emil Nolde, that same intensity of colour and emotion. It's not just about what you see, but what you feel.