Blumenstrauss in Vase 1916

Alexej von Jawlensky made this flower painting, "Blumenstrauss in Vase", with oil on board, and the juicy marks give it a real sense of freedom. The colors! They just dance together, don’t they? Like a bunch of friends who don't always match but somehow make the party better. The paint is laid on pretty thick, like frosting on a cake, and you can almost feel the texture of each stroke. See how the pink of the rose sort of swirls around itself? It’s like Jawlensky is showing us not just what a flower looks like, but how it feels to look at one. The brushstrokes are so confident, so direct. I think he had a real dialogue with the paint, letting it lead him as much as he led it. This feels like a conversation between Matisse’s love of color and Van Gogh’s swirling energy. It reminds us that art isn’t about perfect representation, but about feeling, and about the messy, beautiful process of making.