Born 1864 in Torzhok in the Tver province, died 1941 in Wiesbaden. He studied with Repin at the academy in Saint Petersburg; in 1896 he went to Munich where he joined his compatriots Kandinsky, Bechtejeff and Marianne von Werefkin to found the Neue Künstlervereinigung München in 1909. When World War I broke out he retired to Ascona in Switzerland; from 1921 onwards he lived in Wiesbaden. In 1924 he joined Kandinsky, Feininger and Klee to found the Die blauen Vier group. Jawlensky’s painting was at first based on the study of Cézanne and van Gogh, later he was influenced by Matisse. Characteristic of his mature period was a marked expressionism, which he achieved with bright colours and simple elementary forms.
Lit.: Aleksej Jawlensky 1864 bis 1941, München 1983 [ex. cat.]; Maria Jawlensky – Lucia Pieroni Jawlensky – Angelica Jawlensky: Alexej von Jawlensky: Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings: 1914-1933, Vol. II, London 1992; op. cit., 1934-1937, Vol. III, London 1993; Alexej von Jawlensky, Milano 1995 [ex. cat.].