Schokko with Red Hat - Alexej von Jawlensky

A striking 1917 portrait by Alexej von Jawlensky, featuring bold, non-naturalistic colours and simplified forms that capture an introspective mood.

Alexej von Jawlensky painted this portrait in 1917, during a period when he focused on the human face as a vehicle for spiritual and emotional expression. The subject, a young woman known as Schokko, appears frequently in his work from this era. Jawlensky reduces the facial features to simplified, almost iconic forms, prioritising the arrangement of colour over anatomical precision. The composition is dominated by a bold, saturated red background that pushes the figure forward. Jawlensky employs thick, dark outlines to define the contours of the face, the hat, and the shoulders. These heavy lines separate the areas of colour, creating a structure that resembles stained glass. The palette is intentionally non-naturalistic: the skin is rendered in pale yellow and green tones, while the hat features patches of bright green, pink, and orange. This deliberate use of colour serves to detach the portrait from reality, moving it toward a more abstract, meditative state. Jawlensky was a member of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München and later associated with Der Blaue Reiter. His work reflects a transition from the influence of Fauvism and Post-Impressionism toward a personal style defined by repetitive, serial exploration of the human visage. By painting the same model repeatedly, he sought to capture a universal essence rather than a specific likeness. The downward gaze of the subject adds a sense of introspection, inviting the viewer to engage with the painting as a contemplative object. This print captures the texture of the original oil on cardboard, preserving the visible brushwork and the raw, immediate quality of the artist's application.