Head in Black and Green 1913

Alexej von Jawlensky made this painting, Head in Black and Green, using oil on board. The surface is really built up with strokes of thick paint, especially around the eyes and mouth. It’s like he was carving the face out of pigment. Look at the way the pink accents define the cheek and neck. It’s kind of arbitrary, but it really makes the face pop. The mouth is particularly interesting: just a few black lines, but so expressive. You know, it reminds me a little bit of James Ensor’s masks. There’s this similar sense of confronting the viewer head-on with a slightly unsettling expression. Ultimately, this painting really gets at the idea of a portrait as something more than just a likeness. It is about capturing a feeling, a mood, or even just the pure, raw energy of the paint itself.