Jawlensky von, Alexej

* March 13, 1864 - † March 15, 1941

biography

Born on March 13, 1864 in Torzhok (Russia), Jawlensky attended the cadet school in Moscow and began painting on the side. In 1889 he was transferred to St. Petersburg as an officer, where he attended the art academy. In 1891 he met the painters Helene Nesnakomoff and Marianne von Werefkin (his future wife), left the military as a captain in 1896 and went with both women to Munich, where he attended the Azbé art school and met Kandinsky. While traveling, Jawlensky became acquainted with the works of van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Matisse, which led him to a colorful painting style with powerful brushwork. He worked partly with Matisse and later with Kandinsky, Münter and Werefkin in Murnau. In 1909 he founded the "New Munich Artists' Association" with Kandinsky and later joined the "Blue Rider" group. When Jawlensky was expelled from Germany during the First World War, he moved to Switzerland. In 1924 he founded the group “Blue Four” with Feininger, Kandinsky and Klee. Jawlensky died on March 15, 1941 in Wiesbaden. As a representative of Expressionism, he did not use colors purely decoratively, but rather used them symbolically.