Alexej von Jawlensky

Hermann Kesser, Zurich (a gift from the artist)
Private Collection, Germany
Sale: Sotheby's, Berlin, 30th May 1991, lot 18
Purchased at the above sale by the present owners

Venice, Padiglione della Russia, XII Esposizione internazionale d'Arte della Citta di Venezia, 1920, no. 28
Dresden, Galerie Emil Richter (and travelling in Germany), Alexej Jawlensky, 1922
Chemnitz, Kunsthütte, Alexej Jawlensky, 1923, probably no. 233
Dresden, Neue Galerie Fides (and travelling in Germany), Alexej Jawlensky, 1923
Frankfurt, Galerie Ludwig Schames, 1923

Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky & Angelica Jawlensky, Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil-Paintings 1914-1933, London, 1992, vol. II, no. 1078, illustrated in colour p. 282

The board is stable. There are artist's pinholes in the top two corners of the work. There are no signs of retouching visible under ultra-violet light. This work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate, although the blues are more turquoise and the greens are stronger in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Heilandsgesicht: Märtyrer forms part of Jawlensky's series of 'Heilandsgesichter'. Commenting on the variety of these serial works, Clemens Weiler has written: 'Jawlensky came to concentrate more and more on the human face as the bearer of emotion. Although his work has great depth and breadth of variation, he reduced his means of expression to a minimum' (C. Weiler, Alexej Jawlensky. Köpfe, Gesichter, Meditationen, Hanau, 1970, p. 9).

In its format and composition, the present work also recalls the Russian Orthodox icons of the artist's youth. Jawlensky commented on this influence and remarked: 'I am Russian-born. As such my heart and soul have always felt close to old Russian art, to Russian icons, the art of Byzantium, the mosaics of Ravenna, Venice and Rome and the art of the Romanesque period. All these arts would set up a holy vibration in my soul, for they spoke to me in a language of deep spirituality. It was this art that gave me my tradition' (quoted in C. Weiler,ibid., p. 11).

The Swiss art and music critic Hermann Kesser, who once received the present work as a gift from the artist, was a very close friend of Jawlensky and in the artist's photo archive there is a note written in pencil under the present work stating 'gift to Hermann Kesser'.