Blauer Berg 1910

Alexej von Jawlensky made this landscape painting, Blauer Berg, with oil paint, probably sometime in the early 20th century. Look at how he's laid down the color; it's really about feeling, not representing. The texture is smooth, but you can see the brushstrokes, especially in the blue mountain. It's like he's sculpting with color. The colors are intense, but not mixed too much; they sit next to each other, creating a kind of vibration. See that little red patch in the middle ground? It's not really anything, but it activates the whole space around it. It reminds me of the way Van Gogh would use color to express emotion. Jawlensky's piece shows that paintings aren’t just pictures, they're experiences. They're about how we see and feel, and how artists can show us new ways of doing both.