Alexej von Jawlensky was a Russian painter associated with the Der Blauer Reiter group in Munich. His works are characterized by their directional brushstrokes, mystical subjects, and use of rich, contrasting hues. Among Jawlensky’s best-known works are his Meditations, a series of abstract portraits, composed of blocks of color and stylized facial features. “I sat in my studio and painted, and did not need Nature as a prompter,” he once explained. “I only had to immerse myself in myself, pray, and prepare my soul to a state of religious awareness.” Born on March 13, 1864 in Torzhok, Russia, he served in the Tsarist Army as an officer before enrolling in classes of the realist painter Ilya Repin in St. Petersburg...