Catalogue raisonné:
The Alexej von Jawlensky Archive, Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. II, Nr. 1272
The work is documented on page 18 of Jawlensky’s so-called Cahier Noir.
Provenance:
Frankfurt Kunstkabinett Hanna Bekker vom Rath, Hofheim i. Taunus
Private collection (acquired from the above in 1952)
Private collection, Berlin (acquired from the above in 1984, Wolfgang Ketterer, Munich)
Alexej von Jawlensky – Abstrakter Kopf: September (1927)
Abstrakter Kopf: September (1927) is a key work from Alexej von Jawlensky’s Wiesbaden period, one of the most significant phases of his career. The painting belongs to his celebrated series of “Abstract Heads”, developed between 1918 and 1935.
The work is recorded on page 18 of the so-called Cahier Noir, the archive compiled in 1934 by Jawlensky and his assistant Lisa Kümmel. It was exhibited as early as 1928 at Galerie Neue Kunst Fides in Dresden, followed in 1929 by its presentation in the exhibition of the “Blue Four” (Blaue Vier) at Galerie Ferdinand Möller in Berlin, which Jawlensky attended in person.
The “Abstract Heads” as Modern Icons
The Abstract Heads constitute a central group within European Expressionism. In this series, Jawlensky deliberately abandoned naturalistic portraiture and transformed the human face into a geometrically ordered system of signs.
These works may be understood as modern, spiritually charged icons—images intended for contemplative viewing. Repetition, variation and internal structure replace individual likeness. Jawlensky developed a fixed compositional framework, which he continually revitalised through nuanced and harmonically balanced colour relationships.
Form, Colour and Compositional Structure
Abstrakter Kopf: September follows this reduced formal vocabulary in a particularly concentrated manner. Cheeks and chin are unified in a large U-shaped form; nose and eyebrows are defined by narrow, ridge-like lines meeting at right angles. The mouth appears as a horizontal line, while the eyes are reduced to gently curved strokes.
The pictorial space is structured by clearly defined, calm areas of colour. Cool blue interacts with luminous rose, apricot with saturated green. Strong contour lines bind these tones into a cohesive and balanced overall composition.
A small sun in the right-hand area enlivens the image, bathing the upper half in warm light while the lower section remains in shadow. This subtle interplay of light and darkness enhances the inner tension of the composition.
Meditative Presence and Art Historical Significance
In the dynamic balance of line and plane, warmth and coolness, light and shadow, the stylised face with closed eyes conveys a profound meditative calm. Detached from corporeality, it appears suspended in a state of inward stillness, radiating timeless presence.
With Abstrakter Kopf: September, Jawlensky reaches a high point in his serial exploration of the abstraction of the human face. The painting stands among the most resolved and harmonically unified works of this group. Comparable Abstract Heads are held in major national and international museum collections, including the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, the Städel Museum and the Nationalgalerie Berlin.
