Russian Expressionist painter, born 1864. After meeting Matisse in 1905 he became influenced by Fauvism, which he combined with elements of Russian traditional painting to form a melancholy, introspective style. It is said that he ‘saw Matisse through Russian eyes’. He was one of the founders in 1909 of the ‘Neue Kunstvereiningung Munchen’ (Artists Association of Munich), which included fellow Russian artist Kandinsky. Their work was ahead of its time and widely misunderstood. ‘Symphony in Rose’ (1923) is part of a series of paintings of almost abstract heads, the features reduced to mere curves and lines. In 1924, with Kandinsky, Klee and Feininger he formed the ‘Blauer Vier’ (The Blue Four), exhibiting their work together in the US and Europe. In later life he suffered badly from arthritis which eventually forced him to give up painting in 1938, three years before his death.
