Artwork
Girl with the Green Face
Girl with the Green Face is an oil painting by Alexej von Jawlensky. It dates from 1910 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Overview
Alexej von Jawlensky, a Russian-born painter who worked in Germany, completed the oil painting *Girl with the Green Face* in 1910. The work is part of the Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent collection and exemplifies the artist’s engagement with early‑twentieth‑century modernist expression.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas depicts a seated woman whose face is rendered in vivid green tones, while her long, wavy hair combines reds and yellows. She wears a blue garment with a red‑sleeved right arm, set against a dark‑green background. Her simplified features and neutral gaze create an ambiguous, introspective presence rather than a narrative scene.
Technique & Style
Jawlensky employs bold, flat areas of saturated color, reducing facial details to essential shapes. The contrast between the green skin and the surrounding hues heightens the emotional charge typical of expressionist painting, while the overall composition remains flat, lacking traditional modeling or perspective.
History & Provenance
Created during a period when Jawlensky was active in avant‑garde circles such as Der Blaue Reiter, the painting entered the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection at an unspecified date. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s focus on early modernist works by artists linked to German expressionism.
Context
The work belongs to a phase in Jawlensky’s career when he explored color as a vehicle for spiritual and psychological effect, a concern shared by his contemporaries in the Blue Rider group. The unconventional coloration of the figure’s skin aligns with the group’s interest in transcending naturalistic representation.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alexej Georgewitsch von Jawlensky (Russian: Алексе́й Гео́ргиевич Явле́нский, romanized: Alekséy Geórgiyevich Yavlénskiy; 13 March 1864 – 15 March 1941), surname also spelt as Yavlensky, was a Russian expressionist painter active in Germany.
