Variation 1918

Curator: Looking at this canvas, one is immediately struck by the vibrancy, even cheerfulness, despite its clear abstraction. Editor: Yes, and considering its creation in 1918, the final year of World War I, the tension between the aesthetic and the historical context is quite pronounced. This oil painting, titled "Variation" by Alexej von Jawlensky, prompts us to ask what role abstraction played during this period. Curator: Let’s delve into Jawlensky’s process here. We see broad strokes of pure color; fields that butt against one another without blending. What can you tell us about the materiality of the painting? The paint application seems key. Editor: Indeed, this direct application points to the German Expressionist movement, where conveying inner emotional states took precedence over realistic depiction. I would emphasize how the apparent simplicity in the brushstrokes is deceptive. These choices reflect a conscious decision to push against representational norms during turbulent times, reflecting anxieties related to national and individual identity. Curator: Note how Jawlensky builds the image almost like a mosaic, piecing together patches of color to form something that hints at a face or landscape but never fully resolves. I see influences of color field painting that allow the materiality to speak clearly. Editor: The lack of precise figuration opens avenues for exploring psychological dimensions, as do those looming shapes. By deliberately moving toward abstraction, artists such as Jawlensky were responding to the fragmentation and chaos around them, seeking new vocabularies to represent shifting social landscapes, especially related to Russian identity and class. Curator: Ultimately, it serves as a poignant testament to how artists grapple with the visible world. The production of abstraction provided an innovative outlet at a period of great destruction. Editor: Right, it makes you reflect on the idea that art’s meaning changes over time as our contextual understandings develop, always shaping how we, the viewers, engage with it.