Alexei von Jawlensky 

Born. 13.03.1864  in Torzhok, Russia
Died. 15.03.1951 in Wiesbaden, Germany

Expressionist Artist

About the artist

Alexej von Jawlensky was born on 13 March 1864 in Torzhok, Russia.  In 1874 the family moved to Moscow. When he was old enough, Jawlensky joined the army and did his basic training. After a few years of military training, he became interested in painting, he was lucky to get himself posted to St. Petersburg where he finished his military duties and studied at the Art Academy. Through his art acquaintances, he met the wealthy artist Marianne von Werefkin, who offered to be his mentor and provide him with a good lifestyle while promoting his work.

Jawlensky and Werefkin moved to Munich in 1894, where he studied at Anton Ažbe’s private school. Munich was a central hub for artists at that time and Jawlensky met many other Russian artists and also helped to form the Neue Künstlervereinigung München.

Between 1908 and 1910 Jawlensky and Werefkin spent summers painting in the Bavarian Alps with the artists, Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter, often exchanging ideas and techniques.

In 1912 Jawlensky focussed more on the expressive use of colour and form in his work.

Jawlensky was forced to leave Germany at the outbreak of World War I and relocated to Switzerland. It was here that he met the artist Emmy Scheyer who, like Werefkin, stopped painting to promote Jawlensky in the U.S.

During his time in Switzerland, Jawlensky experimented with different human forms before finally settling on heads and faces. The brightly coloured Mystical Heads were produced  between 1917 and 1919 and the long-nosed Saviour’s Faces from 1918 to 1920.

Jawlensky returned to Germany in 1921, deciding to stay in Wiesbaden. One year later he married Hélène whom he had known for a long time as she was Werefkin’s former maid. He and  Nesnakomoff had a son who was born out of wedlock in 1902. In 1924 he established and was a member of the Blue Four, which also included the artists Kandinsky, Feiniger, and Klee. Emmy Scheyer helped to promote the artists both in the U.S. and Germany.

At the age of 63, Jawlensky began to suffer from arthritis, this slowed him down considerably and he stopped painting in 1937.
Alexej von Jawlensky died on 15 March 1941 in Wiesbaden, Germany.