Alexej von Jawlensky
Meditation. Mai 1935 N. 25
1935
Öl auf geprägtem Papier, auf Karton aufgezogen 19 x 12,5 cm Unten links mit roter Ölfarbe monogrammiert A.J. sowie unten rechts mit roter Ölfarbe datiert '35'
Jawlensky had begun his fifth series of paintings in 1934: the small-format heads referred to as "Meditations". Many of these works, which were created in 1935 and 1936, appear very sombre because of their pronounced vertical brushstrokes and also their dark tonalities, which almost recall church windows. The striking axial lines of the face, as a symbol of a reductive depiction of saints' heads, are characteristic for the series of "Meditations". This change is surely to be explained by Jawlensky's suffering from a painful arthritis. Although this placed substantial constraints on the artist physically, the "Meditations" are full of a mysterious magic, spiritual maturity and a deep resonance. In a certain sense, Jawlensky himself considered them to be the completion of his entire painterly oeuvre.
Certificate
With a photo-certificate from Maria Jawlensky, Locarno, dated 11 May 1987
We would like to thank Mme. Jawlensky-Bianconi, Jawlensky-Archive Locarno, for kind additional information.
Provenance
Artist's studio; Galka Scheyer, Hollywood/California (1935; no.2 on list of paintings, dated 4 August 1935, sent to Galka Scheyer, USA); Compulsory Auction, Los Angeles 1954, lot 9, no. 79; Landau Galleries, Orrel P. Reed, Jr., Los Angeles; Collection Philip Casady, Beverly Hills; Sotheby's New York, 7 October 1987, lot 83; Sotheby's Munich, Deutsche Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts, 26 October 1988, lot 65; private collection, Switzerland