Self-portrait - Alexej von Jawlensky

A striking 1912 self-portrait by Alexej von Jawlensky, featuring bold, non-naturalistic colours and strong outlines characteristic of his Expressionist style.

This self-portrait by Alexej von Jawlensky, painted in 1912, captures the artist during his period of association with the Der Blaue Reiter group in Munich. Jawlensky, a Russian painter who spent much of his career in Germany, utilised a bold, non-naturalistic palette to convey psychological intensity rather than mere physical likeness. The composition is dominated by strong, flat planes of colour, a technique influenced by his interest in both Fauvism and the spiritual dimensions of Russian icon painting. The artist depicts himself with a direct, unblinking gaze. His face is constructed from contrasting zones of yellow, orange, and green, which depart from traditional skin tones to suggest an internal state of being. The dark, heavy outlines define the facial features and the lapels of his jacket, creating a sense of structural solidity against the more fluid, abstract background. The use of a bright green hue across the lower portion of the face and the jacket serves to anchor the figure, while the background elements remain ambiguous and suggestive. Jawlensky often explored the human face as a vehicle for spiritual expression. In this work, the reduction of form and the deliberate choice of colour demonstrate his move away from representational accuracy toward a more subjective mode of depiction. The painting reflects the broader European interest in the early twentieth century for using colour as an autonomous element, capable of communicating emotion independently of the subject matter. This print reproduces the textures of the original oil on board, maintaining the intensity of the pigments and the deliberate brushwork that characterises Jawlensky's approach to the portrait genre during his most productive years in Germany.