Thursday, September 20, 2018

Marianne von Werefkin

I adore my life: it is filled with so much true poetry, fine feelings, things many have no idea about. I despise my life, which, being rich, allowed itself to be crammed into the confines of conventions. Between these two opinions pulsates my soul always longing for beauty and good.
~Marianne von Werefkin


Today's artist was born Marianna Wladimirowna Werewkina on September 10, 1860 in what is currently Lithuania. In 1892, Marianne met someone who wanted to be her protégé and she ended up putting her own work on hold for nearly ten years to help him. When she got back into it, she created these vibrant works:

The Red Tree
by Marianne von Werefkin

The Ragpicker
by Marianne von Werefkin

After the Storm
by Marianne von Werefkin

The Way of the Cross II
by Marianne von Werefkin

The Beer Garden
by Marianne von Werefkin

The Night Shift
by Marianne von Werefkin


One last quote from Marianne, talking about looking at a painting in Berlin:

...Every day my soul sang in response to it stronger and stronger. I was very sick then, and that genius alone reconciled me to my life when there was so much suffering in it. Looking at his creation, at these lines, at these half-tones (remember that shadowed jaw against the background or the column against the dress), at all this charm of the art, at this grand style, I started to want to live again, to see it again and again, to live on by painting and perhaps by painting alone.

2 comments:

HWY said...

von Werefkin's work is indeed vibrant. Her use of color is fantastic...literally and figuratively. My socks have been knocked off, for sure. :-)

Molly Hogan said...

Wow! I stopped by to check out your PF post and got pulled into these marvelous paintings by Marianne von Werefkin. They simply pulse on the "page." I can only imagine how vibrant they must be when viewed in person. Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful artist!