Seated Woman 1911

Alexej von Jawlensky made "Seated Woman" with paint on canvas. I’m drawn to the way the colour feels both carefully considered and totally intuitive, as if the artist is working things out as they go along. The paint itself has such a luscious, almost edible quality. The red of her dress, for example, is laid on thick, with these little dots of pigment adding texture and depth. Then you see the gentle brushstrokes, the way he softens the jawline, the round cheeks, and that tiny mouth, it’s like he’s feeling his way around the contours of her face. The yellow flowers pinned to the front of her dress and the highlights on her shawl really pop. I see a connection here to Matisse and the Fauvist painters, with their bold approach to color and simplified forms. You look at this painting and you feel something of the joy and freedom that comes from playing with colour, line and form.