Alexej von Jawlensky

The artist's estate
Acquired by the family of the current owner in the 1950s 

Clemens Weiler, Alexej Jawlensky, 1959, no. 573, illustrated p. 267
Maria Jawlensky, et. al., Alexej von Jawlensky: Catalogue raisonné of the Oil Paintings, vol. I, London, 1992, no. 627, illustrated p. 485

Very good condition. No apparent inpainting. There are several losses to the pigment around the extreme edges, especially the corners. Two tiny scrapes to the right of the palm tree on right section of board. Small loss near lower center edge and other flecks of loss elsewhere. Board appears to be slightly time darkened. Verso: Losses to the extreme outer layer of paper board. Fragments of shipping tape visible.
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In the Spring of 1914, as the tensions of the European Situation were leading to the outbreak of World War I, Jawlensky traveled to the Italian Riviera in search of artistic inspiration. The town of Bordighera was a popular resort town, known for an abundance of opulent palm trees and magnificent coastal views. Other artists, such as Monet (see fig. 2), had been drawn to Bordighera for the wealth of light and color in the surrounding landscapes. In the current work, Jawlensky captures the essence of the luscious surroundings of Bordighera with bold coloring and radical brushstrokes.

By the time he painted this work circa 1914, Jawlensky had fully embraced painting as a means of communicating his personal reaction to the surrounding environment. He later wrote to Pater Willibrord Verkade on June 12, 1938, musing on his artistic development during the mid-1910s: "I knew that I must paint not what I saw, not even what I felt, but only what was in me, in my soul. Figuratively speaking, it was like this: in my heart I felt as if there was an organ, which I had to sound. And Nature, which I saw before me, only prompted me. And that was a key that unlocked this organ and made it sound. At first this was very difficult. But gradually I came to have no difficulty in finding though colour and form what was in my soul" (quoted in Maria Jawlensky, et. al., op. cit., p. 34).

Fig. 1  A postcard of Bordighera, circa 1900

Fig. 2  Claude Monet, Maison du Jardinier or Bordighera, La Mediterranee, private collection