Alexej von Jawlensky

Estate of the artist
Galerie Jacques Fricker, Paris (by 1956)
Private Collection, Paris
Sale: Christie's, London, 7th October 1999, lot 70
Private Collection, Switzerland

Paris, Galerie Jacques Fricker, Alexej Jawlensky, 1956, no. 17, illustrated in the catalogue
Cologne, Galerie Aenne Abels, Alexej Jawlensky, 1958, no. 10, illustrated in the catalogue
Paris, Galerie Jacques Fricker, Alexej Jawlensky, 1959, no. 5
Dortmund, Museum am Ostwall, Alexej von Jawlensky - Reisen, Freunde, Wandlungen, 1998, no. 225, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Artist's photo archive (titled St-Prex)
Clemens Weiler, Alexej Jawlensky, Cologne, 1959, no. 586, illustrated p. 183
Maria Jawlensky, Lucia Pieroni-Jawlensky & Angelica Jawlensky, Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil-Paintings 1914-1933, London, 1992, vol. II, no. 648, illustrated in colour p. 61

The board is stable. There are artist's pinholes in all four corners of the work. There are no signs of retouching visible under ultra-violet light. This work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate, although the pink is more purple and the red is more magenta in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Grosse Variation, painted in 1914, is one of the first examples from Jawlensky's famous series of 'Variations', which he painted between 1914 and 1917. The artist had fled to Switzerland at the outbreak of World War I. Deprived of a studio, he drew his inspiration from the view from his window from the small house he rented in Saint Prex on Lake Geneva. This new solitude nurtured his already great interest in spirituality and, strongly influenced by Robert Delaunay, Jawlensky began seeking a form of meditation through painting the 'Variations'.

The artist recalls in his memoirs: 'It was very tiny, our house, and I had no room of my own, only a window which I could call mine. But it was so gloomy and unhappy in my soul after those dreadful experiences that I was quite content to sit at the window and quietly collect my thoughts and feelings. At the beginning at Saint-Prex I tried to continue painting as I had in Munich, but something inside me would not allow me to go on with those colourful, powerful, sensual works. I realized that my soul had undergone a change as a result of so much suffering and that I therefore had to discover different forms and colours to express what my soul felt.

I began my so-called 'variations on a landscape' which was the view from my window - a couple of trees, a path and the sky. I started trying to express through painting what I felt nature prompting me to say. By means of hard work and tremendous concentration I gradually found the right colours and form to express what my spiritual self demanded' (M. Jawlensky, L. Pieroni-Jawlensky & A. Jawlensky, Alexej von Jawlensky, Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings 1890 to 1914, London, 1991, vol. I, p. 32).