Lot 324 Dα

The Galerie Grosshennig purchased this large floral piece from the artist's estate in 1960 and resold it to a private collection in the same year. On its reverse side it is, among other things, titled “Bouquet à l'heure bleue”. This title in particular beautifully captures the poetic atmosphere of the composition, which seems to dissolve entirely in the blue and reddish violet of the subtly shaded colour tones with a few brighter contrasts of light.
It is well known that in the evening, after sunset and shortly before nightfall, it is possible to observe how objects and the colours and forms that constitute them change, how contours and three-dimensionality become blurred. The atmosphere is in fact saturated with the reflected glow of the firmament, the “bluing” of the gathering darkness, but precisely in this brief moment blossoms once more unfold the ultimate magic of their scent and develop a very distinctive, almost indescribable and unreal luminosity.
Nonetheless, Jawlensky's Expressionist oeuvre does not pursue a naturalistic impression, instead, it is subject to its own formal principles. In his artistic “parallel universe” there are analogies, memories and emotional evocations. On account of his illness, 1937 was the last year in which Jawlensky painted. “Bouquet à l'heure bleue” is a characteristic example of his late style, which matured to a final mastery during his years in Wiesbaden.