Soulmates Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin

Edited by Roman Zieglgänsberger, Annegret Hoberg, and Matthias Mühling

With contributions by Mara Folini, Jelena Hahl-Fontaine, Annegret Hoberg, Angelica Jawlensky Bianconi, Laima Laučkaité, Anna Straetmans, Sandra Uhrig, and Roman Zieglgänsberger

In cooperation with Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv S.A., Muralto, CH Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna—Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Ascona, CH

PRESTEL Munich · London · New York Soulmates Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin

Edited by Roman Zieglgänsberger, Annegret Hoberg, and Matthias Mühling

With contributions by Mara Folini, Jelena Hahl-Fontaine, Annegret Hoberg, Angelica Jawlensky Bianconi, Laima Laučkaité, Anna Straetmans, Sandra Uhrig, and Roman Zieglgänsberger

In cooperation with Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv S.A., Muralto, CH Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna—Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Ascona, CH

PRESTEL Munich · London · New York Foreword 12 Acknowledgements 16

Biography of a Couple: Jawlensky and Werefkin— 19 Shared and Separate Paths

“No thunderstorms, no steady rain, no cloudbursts” 40 Soulmates—Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin and Their Artistic Development

I Munich 65 1896–1906

Jawlensky and Werefkin—The First Decade in Munich 90 Conversation as a Medium—Werefkin’s “Pink Salon” and 100 Her Self-Image as an Artist, 1896–1906

II Munich, Murnau, Prerow, and Oberstdorf 109 1907–1914

Jawlensky and Werefkin—In the Circle of the Neue Künstlervereinigung 200 München and the Blue Rider

III Together in Switzerland (Saint-Prex, Zurich, Ascona) 221 1914–1921

From Residents of Munich by Choice to “Enemy-State Foreigners” 246 and Exiles: The Outbreak of World War I and the Situation of Russian Artists in Germany and Switzerland Jawlensky and Werefkin—New Beginnings, Encounters, 252 and Endings: Notes on their Swiss Years Together between 1914 and 1921

IV Separate Paths—Werefkin in Ascona and Jawlensky in Wiesbaden 263 1921–1941

The Ticino of Marianne von Werefkin—The Art of Life under 278 the Open Sky and Stars The Cathedral Spire—Alexej von Jawlensky in Wiesbaden 284

V The Letters in Vilnius 291

New Finds on the Artist Couple Jawlensky and Werefkin in Russian Letters 292 The Correspondence between Manya and Lulu in the 300 Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Vilnius

Appendix 306 Foreword 12 Acknowledgements 16

Biography of a Couple: Jawlensky and Werefkin— 19 Shared and Separate Paths

“No thunderstorms, no steady rain, no cloudbursts” 40 Soulmates—Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin and Their Artistic Development

I Munich 65 1896–1906

Jawlensky and Werefkin—The First Decade in Munich 90 Conversation as a Medium—Werefkin’s “Pink Salon” and 100 Her Self-Image as an Artist, 1896–1906

II Munich, Murnau, Prerow, and Oberstdorf 109 1907–1914

Jawlensky and Werefkin—In the Circle of the Neue Künstlervereinigung 200 München and the Blue Rider

III Together in Switzerland (Saint-Prex, Zurich, Ascona) 221 1914–1921

From Residents of Munich by Choice to “Enemy-State Foreigners” 246 and Exiles: The Outbreak of World War I and the Situation of Russian Artists in Germany and Switzerland Jawlensky and Werefkin—New Beginnings, Encounters, 252 and Endings: Notes on their Swiss Years Together between 1914 and 1921

IV Separate Paths—Werefkin in Ascona and Jawlensky in Wiesbaden 263 1921–1941

The Ticino of Marianne von Werefkin—The Art of Life under 278 the Open Sky and Stars The Cathedral Spire—Alexej von Jawlensky in Wiesbaden 284

V The Letters in Vilnius 291

New Finds on the Artist Couple Jawlensky and Werefkin in Russian Letters 292 The Correspondence between Manya and Lulu in the 300 Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Vilnius

Appendix 306 Foreword the work of its first postwar director, Clemens Weiler, who not only published the first Jaw- lensky monograph in 1955, but three years later marked the twentieth anniversary of Weref- kin’s death by staging Germany’s first postwar exhibition of her art. Weiler thus established the tradition of researching the life and the oeuvre of both artists, one that the Museum Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin were each remarkable artists in their own Wies baden has carried on to this day. right, yet never before has an exhibition been devoted to these two great modernists as a Soulmates rests on a revealing and complementary array of works by Jawlensky and couple. Our project is the first to present them as two artists who were bonded together in Werefkin that the two curators, Roman Zieglgänsberger and Annegret Hoberg, selected life, as in art, for nearly thirty years, and who like the other famous couple, Wassily Kan- from the wealth of material held by the museums in Wiesbaden and Munich. That we were dinsky and Gabriele Münter, count among the great pioneering figures of the Expressionist able to supplement these with crucial additions is thanks to the constructive co operation avant-garde. of two other major collections, the Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv S.A. in Muralto and the When Jawlensky and Werefkin left Saint Petersburg in 1896, they decided to settle in Fondazione Marianne Werefkin in Ascona. We would therefore like to extend our sincerest Munich, where for ten years Werefkin suspended her own painting to concentrate exclu- thanks to Angelica Jawlensky Bianconi and Mara Folini for so kindly agreeing to place so sively on nurturing her partner’s talent, including by studying art theory and engaging with many valuable, indeed indispensable works by Jawlensky and Werefkin at our disposal, and the contemporary art of the day. Both as theorists (Werefkin) and as a source of painterly for each contributing such a knowledgeable and insightful essay to the catalogue. stimuli (Jawlensky), they left their imprint on two movements that were to shape the course Heartfelt thanks also go out to our many other institutional and private lenders, with - of art history: the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (New Artists’ Association Munich, out whose major loans we would not have been able to produce such a consistent and sub- NKVM), which they cofounded in 1909 and whose meetings they hosted at their home on stantial exhibition and catalogue. We would also like to thank our other external authors, Giselastrasse in Munich, and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), the group that was to grow namely Jelena Hahl-Fontaine, Laima Laučkaité, and Sandra Uhrig, who between them out of it. Whether individually or in concert, each can be credited with having made a major paint a multifaceted picture of various aspects of the life and works of these two artists, as is contribution to the development of modern art in the early days of the twentieth century. especially apparent in the editors’ extensive double biography “Shared and Separate Paths.” At the outbreak of World War I, Werefkin and Jawlensky went into exile in Switzer- We would also like to thank Brigitte Salmen of the PSM Privatstiftung Schloßmuseum land, where they lived and worked together in very cramped conditions before finally de- Murnau for granting us permission to reproduce numerous photographs from Marianne von ciding to separate in 1921. Werefkin remained in Ascona, while Jawlensky and his family Werefkin’s estate and for reliably supplying the same. We are similarly indebted to Isabelle moved to Wiesbaden. Jansen, curator of the Gabriele Münter- und Johannes Eichner-Stiftung, and her assistant, Under the circumstances, it is indeed remarkable that their work has hitherto received Marta Koscielniak, who kindly provided important, in some cases unpublished, documents the attention it deserves only in the larger context of the Blue Rider group or in solo ex- and photographs, and to the Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv in Muralto at Lago Maggiore. hibitions and publications. Our show is thus the first to explicitly present Jawlensky and As always, both museums could rely on the dedication and professionalism of their Werefkin as an artist couple. The German title Lebensmenschen, which we have translated staff. Especially deserving of mention here are the conservators, Iris Winkelmeyer, Isa Päff- as Soulmates, is borrowed from Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard, who used his coinage gen, and Daniel Oggenfuss at the Lenbachhaus, and Ines Unger and Pascale Regnault at the to describe the kind of bond that far surpasses any purely amorous relationship. A Le­ Museum Wiesbaden, who between them will be taking care of all the works, including those bensmensch is thus whoever is “felt to be the most important person in one’s life”—which on loan, from Munich to Ascona. Our sincere thanks also go to Anna Straetmans, assistant is also the definition used in today’s digital dictionaries. For the purposes of our concept, it curator at the Lenbachhaus, who dedicated so much time and effort to the installation of the seemed to capture perfectly the never easy, highly complex, at times fraught, and always exhibition, the handling of the illustrations, and the catalogue. intense relationship between Jawlensky and Werefkin, who from start to finish were welded The exhibition concept and the idea of making it the first ever presentation of these together by their fierce determination to dedicate their lives to art and at the same time to two artists as a couple in order to open up new perspectives on their respective oeuvres create something new. were the brainchild of Roman Zieglgänsberger, who along with Annegret Hoberg brought The exhibition, the conception of which was the work of the Lenbachhaus Munich both exceptional expertise and dedication to bear on this project. It is therefore to them that, in close collaboration with the Museum Wiesbaden, traces each artist’s development both in closing, we extend our most heartfelt thanks. individually and in relation to each other as well as the constantly changing nature of their personal situation. The two museums were able to draw on their own substantial holdings as well as the findings of their own research. Thanks to Gabriele Münter’s donation of Matthias Mühling Jörg Daur works of Blue Rider art in 1957 along with various other acquisitions, the Lenbachhaus is in Director Head of Collections possession of several major works by Jawlensky, as well as a smaller, but nevertheless im- Lenbachhaus Munich Museum Wiesbaden portant, group of works by Werefkin. The Museum Wiesbaden, for its part, has 110 works by Jawlensky in its collection along with four key paintings by Werefkin. Moreover, both institutions have won acclaim for previous exhibitions of one or the other artist: the Lenbachhaus most notably for Armin Zweite’s Jawlensky show of 1983, which with over 240 works remains the most extensive retrospective to date and broke new ground for all future scholarly engagement with this artist; and the Museum Wiesbaden for

12 13 Foreword the work of its first postwar director, Clemens Weiler, who not only published the first Jaw- lensky monograph in 1955, but three years later marked the twentieth anniversary of Weref- kin’s death by staging Germany’s first postwar exhibition of her art. Weiler thus established the tradition of researching the life and the oeuvre of both artists, one that the Museum Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin were each remarkable artists in their own Wies baden has carried on to this day. right, yet never before has an exhibition been devoted to these two great modernists as a Soulmates rests on a revealing and complementary array of works by Jawlensky and couple. Our project is the first to present them as two artists who were bonded together in Werefkin that the two curators, Roman Zieglgänsberger and Annegret Hoberg, selected life, as in art, for nearly thirty years, and who like the other famous couple, Wassily Kan- from the wealth of material held by the museums in Wiesbaden and Munich. That we were dinsky and Gabriele Münter, count among the great pioneering figures of the Expressionist able to supplement these with crucial additions is thanks to the constructive co operation avant-garde. of two other major collections, the Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv S.A. in Muralto and the When Jawlensky and Werefkin left Saint Petersburg in 1896, they decided to settle in Fondazione Marianne Werefkin in Ascona. We would therefore like to extend our sincerest Munich, where for ten years Werefkin suspended her own painting to concentrate exclu- thanks to Angelica Jawlensky Bianconi and Mara Folini for so kindly agreeing to place so sively on nurturing her partner’s talent, including by studying art theory and engaging with many valuable, indeed indispensable works by Jawlensky and Werefkin at our disposal, and the contemporary art of the day. Both as theorists (Werefkin) and as a source of painterly for each contributing such a knowledgeable and insightful essay to the catalogue. stimuli (Jawlensky), they left their imprint on two movements that were to shape the course Heartfelt thanks also go out to our many other institutional and private lenders, with - of art history: the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (New Artists’ Association Munich, out whose major loans we would not have been able to produce such a consistent and sub- NKVM), which they cofounded in 1909 and whose meetings they hosted at their home on stantial exhibition and catalogue. We would also like to thank our other external authors, Giselastrasse in Munich, and Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), the group that was to grow namely Jelena Hahl-Fontaine, Laima Laučkaité, and Sandra Uhrig, who between them out of it. Whether individually or in concert, each can be credited with having made a major paint a multifaceted picture of various aspects of the life and works of these two artists, as is contribution to the development of modern art in the early days of the twentieth century. especially apparent in the editors’ extensive double biography “Shared and Separate Paths.” At the outbreak of World War I, Werefkin and Jawlensky went into exile in Switzer- We would also like to thank Brigitte Salmen of the PSM Privatstiftung Schloßmuseum land, where they lived and worked together in very cramped conditions before finally de- Murnau for granting us permission to reproduce numerous photographs from Marianne von ciding to separate in 1921. Werefkin remained in Ascona, while Jawlensky and his family Werefkin’s estate and for reliably supplying the same. We are similarly indebted to Isabelle moved to Wiesbaden. Jansen, curator of the Gabriele Münter- und Johannes Eichner-Stiftung, and her assistant, Under the circumstances, it is indeed remarkable that their work has hitherto received Marta Koscielniak, who kindly provided important, in some cases unpublished, documents the attention it deserves only in the larger context of the Blue Rider group or in solo ex- and photographs, and to the Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv in Muralto at Lago Maggiore. hibitions and publications. Our show is thus the first to explicitly present Jawlensky and As always, both museums could rely on the dedication and professionalism of their Werefkin as an artist couple. The German title Lebensmenschen, which we have translated staff. Especially deserving of mention here are the conservators, Iris Winkelmeyer, Isa Päff- as Soulmates, is borrowed from Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard, who used his coinage gen, and Daniel Oggenfuss at the Lenbachhaus, and Ines Unger and Pascale Regnault at the to describe the kind of bond that far surpasses any purely amorous relationship. A Le­ Museum Wiesbaden, who between them will be taking care of all the works, including those bensmensch is thus whoever is “felt to be the most important person in one’s life”—which on loan, from Munich to Ascona. Our sincere thanks also go to Anna Straetmans, assistant is also the definition used in today’s digital dictionaries. For the purposes of our concept, it curator at the Lenbachhaus, who dedicated so much time and effort to the installation of the seemed to capture perfectly the never easy, highly complex, at times fraught, and always exhibition, the handling of the illustrations, and the catalogue. intense relationship between Jawlensky and Werefkin, who from start to finish were welded The exhibition concept and the idea of making it the first ever presentation of these together by their fierce determination to dedicate their lives to art and at the same time to two artists as a couple in order to open up new perspectives on their respective oeuvres create something new. were the brainchild of Roman Zieglgänsberger, who along with Annegret Hoberg brought The exhibition, the conception of which was the work of the Lenbachhaus Munich both exceptional expertise and dedication to bear on this project. It is therefore to them that, in close collaboration with the Museum Wiesbaden, traces each artist’s development both in closing, we extend our most heartfelt thanks. individually and in relation to each other as well as the constantly changing nature of their personal situation. The two museums were able to draw on their own substantial holdings as well as the findings of their own research. Thanks to Gabriele Münter’s donation of Matthias Mühling Jörg Daur works of Blue Rider art in 1957 along with various other acquisitions, the Lenbachhaus is in Director Head of Collections possession of several major works by Jawlensky, as well as a smaller, but nevertheless im- Lenbachhaus Munich Museum Wiesbaden portant, group of works by Werefkin. The Museum Wiesbaden, for its part, has 110 works by Jawlensky in its collection along with four key paintings by Werefkin. Moreover, both institutions have won acclaim for previous exhibitions of one or the other artist: the Lenbachhaus most notably for Armin Zweite’s Jawlensky show of 1983, which with over 240 works remains the most extensive retrospective to date and broke new ground for all future scholarly engagement with this artist; and the Museum Wiesbaden for

12 13 Alexej von Jawlensky Marianne von Werefkin Shared and Separate Paths

1864 1860 Alexej von Jawlensky is born on March 25 (according Marianne von Werefkin is born on September 11 (ac- to the Gregorian calendar) in Torzhok in the Tver cording to the Gregorian calendar) in Tula in the gov- Governorate north of Moscow, and spends his early ernorate—situated to the south of Moscow—of the childhood years at his parents’ estate Kuzlovo. same name, the daughter of the high military official Two official Russian documents confirm his birth year Vladimir Nikolayevich Werefkin and his wife Elisa- as 1865; 1864 appears in Jawlensky’s official papers, beta Petrovna Werefkin, née Daragan. The family re- and this is the year of birth he cites after moving to sides at the official palace of her grandfather, Gover- Germany. nor Peter Mikhailovich Daragan. Werefkin’s brothers, His father, Colonel Georgi Nikiforovich Jawlensky, is Peter and Vsevolod, are born after her. married to Alexandra Petrovna Medvedeva, his sec- ond wife. Alexej has five siblings and a stepbrother. 1863–1879 Because her father is transferred numerous times, Werefkin spends her childhood and youth in Vitebsk

Marianne von Werefkin (left) and Alexej von Jawlensky (right) with model and others at Werefkin’s studio on the Blagodat estate, 1893 PSM Privatstiftung Schloßmuseum Murnau

The Jawlensky family with seven-year-old Alexej sitting on the floor at the right, 1871 Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv S.A., Muralto

1878–1881 When he is about fourteen, Jawlensky enrolls in a cadet training school in Moscow, where he also receives Elisabeta Petrovna Werefkin, née Daragan, with drawing lessons. her daughter Marianne and son Peter, ca. 1863 1882 PSM Privatstiftung Schloßmuseum Murnau In the summer, Jawlensky attends the All­Russian In­ dustrial and Art Exhibition, where he sees paintings (White Russia) and Vilnius (Lithuania), cities that for the first time in the art department. The experience both belong to the administrative bodies of the Rus- impresses him so deeply that from that moment on- sian Empire. ward, his primary aim is to study art. He spends some She receives a solid humanistic education, including of his free time at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. in the principal European languages (German, Eng- lish, French), among other institutions at the Marian Institute in Vilnius. Her drawing talent soon becomes evident, and she is fostered from the age of fourteen onward.

20 Alexej von Jawlensky Marianne von Werefkin 21 Shared Paths Alexej von Jawlensky Marianne von Werefkin Shared and Separate Paths

1864 1860 Alexej von Jawlensky is born on March 25 (according Marianne von Werefkin is born on September 11 (ac- to the Gregorian calendar) in Torzhok in the Tver cording to the Gregorian calendar) in Tula in the gov- Governorate north of Moscow, and spends his early ernorate—situated to the south of Moscow—of the childhood years at his parents’ estate Kuzlovo. same name, the daughter of the high military official Two official Russian documents confirm his birth year Vladimir Nikolayevich Werefkin and his wife Elisa- as 1865; 1864 appears in Jawlensky’s official papers, beta Petrovna Werefkin, née Daragan. The family re- and this is the year of birth he cites after moving to sides at the official palace of her grandfather, Gover- Germany. nor Peter Mikhailovich Daragan. Werefkin’s brothers, His father, Colonel Georgi Nikiforovich Jawlensky, is Peter and Vsevolod, are born after her. married to Alexandra Petrovna Medvedeva, his sec- ond wife. Alexej has five siblings and a stepbrother. 1863–1879 Because her father is transferred numerous times, Werefkin spends her childhood and youth in Vitebsk

Marianne von Werefkin (left) and Alexej von Jawlensky (right) with model and others at Werefkin’s studio on the Blagodat estate, 1893 PSM Privatstiftung Schloßmuseum Murnau

The Jawlensky family with seven-year-old Alexej sitting on the floor at the right, 1871 Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv S.A., Muralto

1878–1881 When he is about fourteen, Jawlensky enrolls in a cadet training school in Moscow, where he also receives Elisabeta Petrovna Werefkin, née Daragan, with drawing lessons. her daughter Marianne and son Peter, ca. 1863 1882 PSM Privatstiftung Schloßmuseum Murnau In the summer, Jawlensky attends the All­Russian In­ dustrial and Art Exhibition, where he sees paintings (White Russia) and Vilnius (Lithuania), cities that for the first time in the art department. The experience both belong to the administrative bodies of the Rus- impresses him so deeply that from that moment on- sian Empire. ward, his primary aim is to study art. He spends some She receives a solid humanistic education, including of his free time at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. in the principal European languages (German, Eng- lish, French), among other institutions at the Marian Institute in Vilnius. Her drawing talent soon becomes evident, and she is fostered from the age of fourteen onward.

20 Alexej von Jawlensky Marianne von Werefkin 21 Shared Paths Cat. 1 Marianne von Werefkin,Self ­Portrait, ca. 1910 Cat. 2 Alexej von Jawlensky, Self­Portrait, 1912 Tempera and bronze lacquer on paper on cardboard, 51 × 34 cm, Lenbachhaus Munich Oil on cardboard, 53.5 × 48.5 cm, Museum Wiesbaden

38 39 Cat. 1 Marianne von Werefkin,Self ­Portrait, ca. 1910 Cat. 2 Alexej von Jawlensky, Self­Portrait, 1912 Tempera and bronze lacquer on paper on cardboard, 51 × 34 cm, Lenbachhaus Munich Oil on cardboard, 53.5 × 48.5 cm, Museum Wiesbaden

38 39 Jawlensky and Werefkin—The First Decade in Munich Zeddler. On the other hand, he speaks no German and is Russian-Orthodox.”6 by Annegret Hoberg Shortly after his arrival, Jawlensky enrolled at the Ažbe school, where for the next three years he and his friends Grabar and Kardovsky would form a Marianne von Werefkin and Alexej von Jawlensky her own artistic development. Having for many years trio that was as enthusiastic as it was inseparable. His left Saint Petersburg and moved to Munich in the proved her worth as a talented realist painter, it was recollections of this period in his memoirs are excep- fall of 1896. The capital of the Bavarian kingdom had time to reset her compass by embarking on a long tionally vivid: “At the Ažbe school, we three formed an excellent reputation as a major art center and at- phase of theoretical study and engagement with those a group unto ourselves, stuck together, worked hard, tracted numerous budding young artists, especially artists who were breaking new ground. and talked a lot about art. And whatever innovations Russians and Eastern Europeans, who preferred it Jawlensky, by contrast, threw himself into fur- we heard of we tried to apply to our own work, too. over Paris as a place to study art. Among those to thering his own career as a painter from the moment It was there that we first heard of form and line. Not settle there were Wassily Kandinsky from Moscow he set foot in Munich, even if for him, as for so many that we adopted these things uncritically. We cer- in 1896, Paul Klee from Bern and Alfred Kubin from of his generation on the cusp of the avant-garde, this tainly brought a breath of fresh air to the place. We Austria in 1898, Gabriele Münter from the Rhine- would commit him to a long and arduous process of were very diligent. At half past seven in the morning, land in 1901, and Eugen von Kahler from Prague experimentation. Kardovsky rang my doorbell and we walked to school that same year, soon to be followed by the Russians together. There we worked all day long, and after the Vladimir Bekhteev, Alexander Mogilevski, and Mois- At Anton Ažbe’s Painting School nude draw ing class, which was ordinarily over by sei Kogan. Their Russian-Ukrainian compatriot, the eight o’clock in the evening, we usually went to my young dancer Alexander Sakharoff, joined them in Anton Ažbe’s private painting school was exception- place to eat together and to chat afterwards. Werefkin Fig. 1 Dmitri Kardovsky, Marianne von Werefkin, Igor Grabar, and Alexej von Jawlensky (from left to right) 1905. ally popular among the hopeful young painters who was always at home. The mood was always very lively, in Munich, ca. 1900 The thirty-six-year old Werefkin and thirty- arrived from Russia in the latter days of the nineteenth funny, and friendly. We worked at the school for three Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv S.A., Muralto two-year-old Jawlensky had been together for over century, and for many of them it was their first port of years, until 1899.”7 four years by then.1 Apart from their emotional ties, call in Munich.4 Slovenian by birth, Ažbe had trained Almost daily, people also congregated in what bonded them together was their passion for art in Ljubljana, Vienna, and at the Munich academy, Werefkin’s “salon,” which eventually became a fa- and their determination to devote their lives to it. As where he had been a student of Ludwig von Löfftz. vorite haunt of Munich’s avant-garde artists (fig. a master student of Ilya Repin for ten years, Werefkin He opened his own art school in a “curiously small, 1). Grabar had especially fond memories of it: “We had completed a much longer course of training than pseudo-Russian wooden house at Georgenstrasse 16” enjoyed all sorts of pastries, blinis, and buckwheat had Jawlensky, and they came from very different in 1892.5 Igor Grabar, who had enrolled at the Saint kasha, and drank tea. Life in Munich was not expen- backgrounds, too. In his memoirs, Jawlensky tells Petersburg academy in 1894 and been a personal sive and we really lived it up. With endless discussions us that he grew up on his parents’ country estate of friend of Werefkin and Jawlensky at least since then, if of art, the latest art magazines, and some new fashion Kuslovo, in a milieu far removed from the cultivated not before, had sung the Ažbe school’s praises so con- that was supplanting what had been cultivated until world of the city, and indeed civilization itself. Appar- vincingly that they had decided on Munich as their fu- just recently.”8 ently he did not visit any city until he was five, and did ture home. The “art correspondent” Grabar had trav- In early 1897, another Russian student turned not see his first paintings—assuming the veracity of eled not just to Munich but to several German cities in up at the Ažbe school. Wassily Kandinsky was actu- his account—until he attended the Art and Industry the course of 1895, and on returning to Russia he did ally a lawyer and economist by profession, but with Exhibition in Moscow at the age of about eighteen. So some vigorous lobbying for the Ažbe school among his wife Anya Semyakina had left Moscow in Decem- deep was the impression made that he resolved that his fellow students in Saint Petersburg. In July 1896, ber of the previous year in order to study painting in his career would be that of an artist. 2 Werefkin, by he put himself in the vanguard by becoming a student Munich. As Grabar remarked: “Along came this gen- contrast, had enjoyed every conceivable privilege of Ažbe, soon to be followed by his friend and fellow tleman with a paint box, took a seat, and began work- since early childhood and had had numerous opportu- student Dmitri Kardovsky. ing. His appearance was typically Russian; yes there nities to become educated not just in art, but in litera- Jawlensky, Werefkin, and their young maid was also a touch of the Moscow academic about him, ture and philosophy as well. Helene Nesnakomoff along with her sister Marie ar- even a whiff of the civil servant … . And that, in a nut- Fig. 2 Nikolai Zeddler, Dmitri Kardovsky, and Wassily Kandinsky (from left to right) at the Ažbe school This imbalance, which cast Werefkin in the role rived in Munich on October 27, 1896. Once there, shell, is the opinion we formed of him the moment we in Munich, 1897 of teacher and Jawlensky in that of pupil in the early Werefkin rented a spacious two-unit apartment at set eyes on him: to us he was a Moscow civil servant. Gabriele Münter- und Johannes Eichner-Stiftung, days of their relationship, is perhaps what set the pat- Giselastrasse 23 in Schwabing, the same street where So imagine my amazement when I actually heard Munich tern that made her abandon her own painting and for Grabar and Kardovsky were already ensconced and his unmistakably Russian accent! … That, then, was ten years instead devote herself exclusively to nurtur- within easy walking distance of both the Munich acad- Kandinsky.”9 ing her partner’s talent. “What is the end result of my emy and the Ažbe school on Georgenstrasse. Grabar Kardovsky also waxed nostalgic when, in later working, even when I work well? A few works, which wrote to his brother on November 8, 1896, to tell him years, he recalled the rarefied atmosphere in which perhaps aren’t bad,” she remonstrated with herself. the latest news from Munich: “Ažbe has made a big the young painters had worked and debated with each “No, I love art too much for that. If I myself am not impression on our academic friends from Petersburg, other during those years spent together in Munich: working and so can devote myself solely to what I and they tell us that more could follow. Werefkin and “I remember quite clearly that blessed, carefree time, believe in, then what will emerge will be my only true a friend of hers—both students of Repin—have also when we dedicated our whole lives solely to the study work and an expression of my artistic creed, which for come.” And he continues: “Another Russian has ar- of art, to painting, and to drawing. We drew, painted, art will be a great conquest. For that it is worth having rived … who undoubtedly has a talent for painting. The visited museums and exhibitions, and discussed liter- lived.”3 But the hiatus was probably also necessary for only trouble is, he is a big Russian landowner—Baron ally from morning till night … and on public holidays

90 91 The First Decade in Munich Jawlensky and Werefkin—The First Decade in Munich Zeddler. On the other hand, he speaks no German and is Russian-Orthodox.”6 by Annegret Hoberg Shortly after his arrival, Jawlensky enrolled at the Ažbe school, where for the next three years he and his friends Grabar and Kardovsky would form a Marianne von Werefkin and Alexej von Jawlensky her own artistic development. Having for many years trio that was as enthusiastic as it was inseparable. His left Saint Petersburg and moved to Munich in the proved her worth as a talented realist painter, it was recollections of this period in his memoirs are excep- fall of 1896. The capital of the Bavarian kingdom had time to reset her compass by embarking on a long tionally vivid: “At the Ažbe school, we three formed an excellent reputation as a major art center and at- phase of theoretical study and engagement with those a group unto ourselves, stuck together, worked hard, tracted numerous budding young artists, especially artists who were breaking new ground. and talked a lot about art. And whatever innovations Russians and Eastern Europeans, who preferred it Jawlensky, by contrast, threw himself into fur- we heard of we tried to apply to our own work, too. over Paris as a place to study art. Among those to thering his own career as a painter from the moment It was there that we first heard of form and line. Not settle there were Wassily Kandinsky from Moscow he set foot in Munich, even if for him, as for so many that we adopted these things uncritically. We cer- in 1896, Paul Klee from Bern and Alfred Kubin from of his generation on the cusp of the avant-garde, this tainly brought a breath of fresh air to the place. We Austria in 1898, Gabriele Münter from the Rhine- would commit him to a long and arduous process of were very diligent. At half past seven in the morning, land in 1901, and Eugen von Kahler from Prague experimentation. Kardovsky rang my doorbell and we walked to school that same year, soon to be followed by the Russians together. There we worked all day long, and after the Vladimir Bekhteev, Alexander Mogilevski, and Mois- At Anton Ažbe’s Painting School nude draw ing class, which was ordinarily over by sei Kogan. Their Russian-Ukrainian compatriot, the eight o’clock in the evening, we usually went to my young dancer Alexander Sakharoff, joined them in Anton Ažbe’s private painting school was exception- place to eat together and to chat afterwards. Werefkin Fig. 1 Dmitri Kardovsky, Marianne von Werefkin, Igor Grabar, and Alexej von Jawlensky (from left to right) 1905. ally popular among the hopeful young painters who was always at home. The mood was always very lively, in Munich, ca. 1900 The thirty-six-year old Werefkin and thirty- arrived from Russia in the latter days of the nineteenth funny, and friendly. We worked at the school for three Alexej von Jawlensky-Archiv S.A., Muralto two-year-old Jawlensky had been together for over century, and for many of them it was their first port of years, until 1899.”7 four years by then.1 Apart from their emotional ties, call in Munich.4 Slovenian by birth, Ažbe had trained Almost daily, people also congregated in what bonded them together was their passion for art in Ljubljana, Vienna, and at the Munich academy, Werefkin’s “salon,” which eventually became a fa- and their determination to devote their lives to it. As where he had been a student of Ludwig von Löfftz. vorite haunt of Munich’s avant-garde artists (fig. a master student of Ilya Repin for ten years, Werefkin He opened his own art school in a “curiously small, 1). Grabar had especially fond memories of it: “We had completed a much longer course of training than pseudo-Russian wooden house at Georgenstrasse 16” enjoyed all sorts of pastries, blinis, and buckwheat had Jawlensky, and they came from very different in 1892.5 Igor Grabar, who had enrolled at the Saint kasha, and drank tea. Life in Munich was not expen- backgrounds, too. In his memoirs, Jawlensky tells Petersburg academy in 1894 and been a personal sive and we really lived it up. With endless discussions us that he grew up on his parents’ country estate of friend of Werefkin and Jawlensky at least since then, if of art, the latest art magazines, and some new fashion Kuslovo, in a milieu far removed from the cultivated not before, had sung the Ažbe school’s praises so con- that was supplanting what had been cultivated until world of the city, and indeed civilization itself. Appar- vincingly that they had decided on Munich as their fu- just recently.”8 ently he did not visit any city until he was five, and did ture home. The “art correspondent” Grabar had trav- In early 1897, another Russian student turned not see his first paintings—assuming the veracity of eled not just to Munich but to several German cities in up at the Ažbe school. Wassily Kandinsky was actu- his account—until he attended the Art and Industry the course of 1895, and on returning to Russia he did ally a lawyer and economist by profession, but with Exhibition in Moscow at the age of about eighteen. So some vigorous lobbying for the Ažbe school among his wife Anya Semyakina had left Moscow in Decem- deep was the impression made that he resolved that his fellow students in Saint Petersburg. In July 1896, ber of the previous year in order to study painting in his career would be that of an artist. 2 Werefkin, by he put himself in the vanguard by becoming a student Munich. As Grabar remarked: “Along came this gen- contrast, had enjoyed every conceivable privilege of Ažbe, soon to be followed by his friend and fellow tleman with a paint box, took a seat, and began work- since early childhood and had had numerous opportu- student Dmitri Kardovsky. ing. His appearance was typically Russian; yes there nities to become educated not just in art, but in litera- Jawlensky, Werefkin, and their young maid was also a touch of the Moscow academic about him, ture and philosophy as well. Helene Nesnakomoff along with her sister Marie ar- even a whiff of the civil servant … . And that, in a nut- Fig. 2 Nikolai Zeddler, Dmitri Kardovsky, and Wassily Kandinsky (from left to right) at the Ažbe school This imbalance, which cast Werefkin in the role rived in Munich on October 27, 1896. Once there, shell, is the opinion we formed of him the moment we in Munich, 1897 of teacher and Jawlensky in that of pupil in the early Werefkin rented a spacious two-unit apartment at set eyes on him: to us he was a Moscow civil servant. Gabriele Münter- und Johannes Eichner-Stiftung, days of their relationship, is perhaps what set the pat- Giselastrasse 23 in Schwabing, the same street where So imagine my amazement when I actually heard Munich tern that made her abandon her own painting and for Grabar and Kardovsky were already ensconced and his unmistakably Russian accent! … That, then, was ten years instead devote herself exclusively to nurtur- within easy walking distance of both the Munich acad- Kandinsky.”9 ing her partner’s talent. “What is the end result of my emy and the Ažbe school on Georgenstrasse. Grabar Kardovsky also waxed nostalgic when, in later working, even when I work well? A few works, which wrote to his brother on November 8, 1896, to tell him years, he recalled the rarefied atmosphere in which perhaps aren’t bad,” she remonstrated with herself. the latest news from Munich: “Ažbe has made a big the young painters had worked and debated with each “No, I love art too much for that. If I myself am not impression on our academic friends from Petersburg, other during those years spent together in Munich: working and so can devote myself solely to what I and they tell us that more could follow. Werefkin and “I remember quite clearly that blessed, carefree time, believe in, then what will emerge will be my only true a friend of hers—both students of Repin—have also when we dedicated our whole lives solely to the study work and an expression of my artistic creed, which for come.” And he continues: “Another Russian has ar- of art, to painting, and to drawing. We drew, painted, art will be a great conquest. For that it is worth having rived … who undoubtedly has a talent for painting. The visited museums and exhibitions, and discussed liter- lived.”3 But the hiatus was probably also necessary for only trouble is, he is a big Russian landowner—Baron ally from morning till night … and on public holidays

90 91 The First Decade in Munich Cat. 47 Alexej von Jawlensky, Murnau, ca. 1910 Cat. 48 Marianne von Werefkin,Autumn Idyll, ca. 1910 Oil on cardboard, 50 × 53 cm, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf Tempera on paper on cardboard, 78 × 60 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna, Ascona

122 123 Landscapes in Murnau, 1907–1910 Cat. 47 Alexej von Jawlensky, Murnau, ca. 1910 Cat. 48 Marianne von Werefkin,Autumn Idyll, ca. 1910 Oil on cardboard, 50 × 53 cm, Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf Tempera on paper on cardboard, 78 × 60 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna, Ascona

122 123 Landscapes in Murnau, 1907–1910 Cat. 114 Alexej von Jawlensky, Violet Turban, 1911 Cat. 115 Alexej von Jawlensky, Woman in Red Blouse, 1911 Oil on cardboard, 53.5 × 49.5 cm, private collection Oil on cardboard, 53.5 × 49.5 cm, ahlers collection, on permanent loan to Franz Marc Museum, Kochel am See Cat. 116 Alexej von Jawlensky, The Hunchback I, 1911 Oil on cardboard on panel, 53 × 49.5 cm, private collection, on permanent loan to Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern

176 177 Jawlensky’s “Prewar Heads,” 1909–1912 Cat. 114 Alexej von Jawlensky, Violet Turban, 1911 Cat. 115 Alexej von Jawlensky, Woman in Red Blouse, 1911 Oil on cardboard, 53.5 × 49.5 cm, private collection Oil on cardboard, 53.5 × 49.5 cm, ahlers collection, on permanent loan to Franz Marc Museum, Kochel am See Cat. 116 Alexej von Jawlensky, The Hunchback I, 1911 Oil on cardboard on panel, 53 × 49.5 cm, private collection, on permanent loan to Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern

176 177 Jawlensky’s “Prewar Heads,” 1909–1912 Cat. 139 Marianne von Werefkin,Church of St. Anna in Vilnius, 1913 Cat. 140 Alexej von Jawlensky, Coastal Town, 1914 Tempera on paper on cardboard, 99.5 × 85 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Oil on cardboard, 49 × 53 cm, private collection, Mannheim Moderna, Ascona

196 197 Werefkin in Lithuania and Jawlensky in Bordighera Cat. 139 Marianne von Werefkin,Church of St. Anna in Vilnius, 1913 Cat. 140 Alexej von Jawlensky, Coastal Town, 1914 Tempera on paper on cardboard, 99.5 × 85 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Oil on cardboard, 49 × 53 cm, private collection, Mannheim Moderna, Ascona

196 197 Werefkin in Lithuania and Jawlensky in Bordighera Cat. 165 Marianne von Werefkin,Night of Ghosts, 1919 Cat. 166 Marianne von Werefkin,Hardship , 1917 Tempera on paper on cardboard, 75 × 57 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Tempera on paper on cardboard, 44 × 57.5 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna, Ascona Moderna, Ascona

238 239 Together in Switzerland, 1914–1921 Cat. 165 Marianne von Werefkin,Night of Ghosts, 1919 Cat. 166 Marianne von Werefkin,Hardship , 1917 Tempera on paper on cardboard, 75 × 57 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Tempera on paper on cardboard, 44 × 57.5 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna, Ascona Moderna, Ascona

238 239 Together in Switzerland, 1914–1921 Cat. 170 Alexej von Jawlensky, Abstract Head: Original Form, 1918 Cat. 171 Marianne von Werefkin,Stations of the Cross II, 1921 Oil on cardboard, 42.8 × 32.8 cm, private collection Tempera on paper on cardboard, 103.5 × 77.5 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna, Ascona

242 243 Together in Switzerland, 1914–1921 Cat. 170 Alexej von Jawlensky, Abstract Head: Original Form, 1918 Cat. 171 Marianne von Werefkin,Stations of the Cross II, 1921 Oil on cardboard, 42.8 × 32.8 cm, private collection Tempera on paper on cardboard, 103.5 × 77.5 cm, Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna, Ascona

242 243 Together in Switzerland, 1914–1921 New Finds on the Artist Couple Jawlensky and Werefkin in Russian Letters by Jelena Hahl­Fontaine

Previously unknown early letters that contradict the shown ambition much earlier, during her voluntary customary image of the artist couple Marianne von but rather unhappy time as a student of Illarion Prya- Werefkin and Alexej von Jawlensky are especially in- nish ni kov in far-off Moscow in 1882. Although she teresting. In all of the correspondence with her father, felt homesick, she rejected all invitations in order to for example, Marianne von Werefkin presents her- concentrate exclusively on her studies: “I try to find self as happy and carefree, in harmony with nature, meaning in continuous work, at least eight hours a and devoted solely to rural life. Alongside poetic and day, and only when my efforts show visible success do dramatic descriptions of nature, these letters, like her I allow myself to be reconciled with my long stay here. early ones to Jawlensky always signed with the affec- My work is not a distraction but an effort, sometimes tionate name “Manja,” shed some unexpected light unbearable and always exhausting.”8 on Werefkin. She despised the balls that someone of Werefkin’s initial passion for Velázquez was her standing was expected to attend, and did not even soon complemented by her admiration for Whistler. possess a fitting wardrobe but only practical every- In 1894, she began an extensive correspondence with day clothes. “I love simple pleasures,” she writes. 1 her fellow artist Igor Grabar, writing how she envied She was on familiar terms with the rural population him for his journeys abroad and cajoling him into visit- and relates how they would sing and dance “until ing Whistler and quizzing him, so that both Jawlensky dawn.”2 She would go hunting in very mixed com- and she herself could learn something new. “Tell him pany, sleeping in barns beside the horses. 3 She was that a human life depends on his answer. I promise proud of her reputation as a fearless equestrian and you, if Whistler doesn’t help our Alexej Georgiewitsch excellent marks woman, but did not care at all about [Jawlensky, author’s note], he will either go mad or her ruined “good reputation,” since the only thing kill himself. He works like a dog, and in my opinion that counted to her was her father’s opinion. This un- he is getting better by the day, but when it comes to conventional, tomboyish demeanor finds expression technique, he struggles so much that it is painful to in her Self­Portrait in a Sailor’s Blouse (cat. 6), which watch him. He destroys nearly completed works. He seems to depict a pert young lad rather than a thirty- will make a wonderful start and then smear paint all three-year-old woman from the court nobility of Saint over it so it becomes unrecognizable. Whistler is the Petersburg. Yet this was how Marianne von Werefkin only hope. I wanted to write to him directly myself. He saw herself. should tell you how he starts, what ground he paints At that time, she very nearly became an as- on, whether he paints directly or how he transfers. sistant to a country doctor friend of hers. Once she When you stand in front of his door, ask him about worried about leaving “her” patients unattended over everything. He’s bound to be amenable to praise, so a weekend, when her return home from an excursion when he realizes that every word of his is worth its was delayed by a storm. As she wrote to Jawlensky weight in gold, he’ll probably tell you. He’s not young in 1910 when the modern hospital—built of stone and anymore, so why should he fear competition.”9 even with lavatory facilities—opened, this almost (ac- Four years later, Werefkin’s assessment of the cidentally) became her life’s path.4 Werefkin’s minis- situation was confirmed. On April 17, 1899, Grabar trations also extended to her father, whom she offered reported back to his colleague Dmitri Nikolayevich wise, judicious words of consolation following the Kardovsky: “So here comes the sensation. Jawlensky death of his wife—her mother.5 Her relationship with kept groaning and complaining that he couldn’t mas- Ilya Repin followed a similar trajectory. Having orig- ter the tempera technique; then one morning he comes inally been his student, she later became his trusted and announces that now he’s going to start painting in “mother confessor,” that is until her criticism of his oils.”10 But that was not the end of it. From 1902 on - views on art finally became an unbridgeable barrier. 6 wards, following Kardovsky’s return to Russia, Jaw- Her beloved studio house in Blagodat in the lensky wrote him many long letters, sometimes as long Russian-Lithuanian province of Kovno was always as thirteen pages, with detailed recipes for tempera full of guests. Marianne was much loved and known paint, and consulted with him: “I combined ten paint- for her generosity, helping all the children of the ing materials, constantly changing the components family with their homework during the holidays. slightly and adding new ones. For example, instead However, this constant stream of visitors ultimately of the boiled linseed oil that tends to darken, I used Fig. 1 Alexander von Salzmann, Monolit Werefkin/Jawlensky, 1903, in a letter to Jawlensky became too much for her; “I wish I could do nothing wooden frame varnish, etc. But my work took more Martynas Mažvydas National Library Vilnius, Lithuania but paint,” she wrote to her father. 7 She had already than twenty-four hours to dry, which is annoying ... .”11

292 293 New Finds on the Artist Couple Jawlensky and Werefkin in Russian Letters New Finds on the Artist Couple Jawlensky and Werefkin in Russian Letters by Jelena Hahl­Fontaine

Previously unknown early letters that contradict the shown ambition much earlier, during her voluntary customary image of the artist couple Marianne von but rather unhappy time as a student of Illarion Prya- Werefkin and Alexej von Jawlensky are especially in- nish ni kov in far-off Moscow in 1882. Although she teresting. In all of the correspondence with her father, felt homesick, she rejected all invitations in order to for example, Marianne von Werefkin presents her- concentrate exclusively on her studies: “I try to find self as happy and carefree, in harmony with nature, meaning in continuous work, at least eight hours a and devoted solely to rural life. Alongside poetic and day, and only when my efforts show visible success do dramatic descriptions of nature, these letters, like her I allow myself to be reconciled with my long stay here. early ones to Jawlensky always signed with the affec- My work is not a distraction but an effort, sometimes tionate name “Manja,” shed some unexpected light unbearable and always exhausting.”8 on Werefkin. She despised the balls that someone of Werefkin’s initial passion for Velázquez was her standing was expected to attend, and did not even soon complemented by her admiration for Whistler. possess a fitting wardrobe but only practical every- In 1894, she began an extensive correspondence with day clothes. “I love simple pleasures,” she writes. 1 her fellow artist Igor Grabar, writing how she envied She was on familiar terms with the rural population him for his journeys abroad and cajoling him into visit- and relates how they would sing and dance “until ing Whistler and quizzing him, so that both Jawlensky dawn.”2 She would go hunting in very mixed com- and she herself could learn something new. “Tell him pany, sleeping in barns beside the horses. 3 She was that a human life depends on his answer. I promise proud of her reputation as a fearless equestrian and you, if Whistler doesn’t help our Alexej Georgiewitsch excellent marks woman, but did not care at all about [Jawlensky, author’s note], he will either go mad or her ruined “good reputation,” since the only thing kill himself. He works like a dog, and in my opinion that counted to her was her father’s opinion. This un- he is getting better by the day, but when it comes to conventional, tomboyish demeanor finds expression technique, he struggles so much that it is painful to in her Self­Portrait in a Sailor’s Blouse (cat. 6), which watch him. He destroys nearly completed works. He seems to depict a pert young lad rather than a thirty- will make a wonderful start and then smear paint all three-year-old woman from the court nobility of Saint over it so it becomes unrecognizable. Whistler is the Petersburg. Yet this was how Marianne von Werefkin only hope. I wanted to write to him directly myself. He saw herself. should tell you how he starts, what ground he paints At that time, she very nearly became an as- on, whether he paints directly or how he transfers. sistant to a country doctor friend of hers. Once she When you stand in front of his door, ask him about worried about leaving “her” patients unattended over everything. He’s bound to be amenable to praise, so a weekend, when her return home from an excursion when he realizes that every word of his is worth its was delayed by a storm. As she wrote to Jawlensky weight in gold, he’ll probably tell you. He’s not young in 1910 when the modern hospital—built of stone and anymore, so why should he fear competition.”9 even with lavatory facilities—opened, this almost (ac- Four years later, Werefkin’s assessment of the cidentally) became her life’s path.4 Werefkin’s minis- situation was confirmed. On April 17, 1899, Grabar trations also extended to her father, whom she offered reported back to his colleague Dmitri Nikolayevich wise, judicious words of consolation following the Kardovsky: “So here comes the sensation. Jawlensky death of his wife—her mother.5 Her relationship with kept groaning and complaining that he couldn’t mas- Ilya Repin followed a similar trajectory. Having orig- ter the tempera technique; then one morning he comes inally been his student, she later became his trusted and announces that now he’s going to start painting in “mother confessor,” that is until her criticism of his oils.”10 But that was not the end of it. From 1902 on - views on art finally became an unbridgeable barrier. 6 wards, following Kardovsky’s return to Russia, Jaw- Her beloved studio house in Blagodat in the lensky wrote him many long letters, sometimes as long Russian-Lithuanian province of Kovno was always as thirteen pages, with detailed recipes for tempera full of guests. Marianne was much loved and known paint, and consulted with him: “I combined ten paint- for her generosity, helping all the children of the ing materials, constantly changing the components family with their homework during the holidays. slightly and adding new ones. For example, instead However, this constant stream of visitors ultimately of the boiled linseed oil that tends to darken, I used Fig. 1 Alexander von Salzmann, Monolit Werefkin/Jawlensky, 1903, in a letter to Jawlensky became too much for her; “I wish I could do nothing wooden frame varnish, etc. But my work took more Martynas Mažvydas National Library Vilnius, Lithuania but paint,” she wrote to her father. 7 She had already than twenty-four hours to dry, which is annoying ... .”11

292 293 New Finds on the Artist Couple Jawlensky and Werefkin in Russian Letters