Mondlicht (Moonlight)

1925

Russian, 1864 - 1941

Originally from Russia, Jawlensky moved to Germany with several colleagues in 1896 to study art at the renowned Munich Art Academy. There he met fellow Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky, who was beginning to develop a language of abstraction based on interpretations of color and sound. Jawlensky became especially celebrated for the abstract heads he painted between 1921 and 1935, increasingly simplifying features such as eyes, nose or mouth into geometric shapes while remaining committed to a bold use of color.

Oil on board

16 1/2 x 12 3/4 in. (41.9 x 32.4 cm)

Gift of Gladys and Sam Rubinstein

2014.26.2

Provenance: The artist; Jawlensky family, by inheritance; to [Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles, California, by Feb. 1967]; purchased from gallery by Sam and Gladys Rubinstein, Seattle, Washington, 1967

Photo: Nathaniel Willson

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Modern in Europe: Featuring Selections from the Collection of Gladys & Sam Rubinstein, Nov. 5, 2004 - Apr. 17, 2005.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Paintings and Drawings of the European Avant-Garde: The Rubinstein Bequest, Apr. 23, 2014 - May 16, 2021.

Published ReferencesWeiler, Clemens. Alexej Jawlensky. Illus. on cover.; Cf., Knight, Christopher. “The inner face of German “Blue Four,” in Los Angeles Herald Examiner, May 26, 1981 (related image, “Winter Ringing”)

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