Der Blaue Reiter: Marianne von Werefkin
The Dancer Alexander Sakharoff, 1909
Tempera on cardboard
30 × 34.2 cm
©Fondazione Marianne Werefkin, Ascona, Switzerland

Alexander Sakharoff (1886-1963) was a Russian-born dancer and choreographer known for his androgynous appearance and pioneering solo performances. He was a muse to many artists in the Der Blaue Reiter circle, including Werefkin and Jawlensky. His theatrical style blended Japanese Kabuki, Greek, and Egyptian influences, often performing in elaborate costumes and makeup, and Werefkin captures him here not in motion but in a moment of inward stillness, the pale face with its flushed cheeks and small, tight mouth suggesting a performer turned briefly toward himself rather than the audience.

For a few years in Paris, Marianne von Werefkin was ahead of her time, and the deep, enveloping blue of this portrait shows how she used near‑monochrome colour fields to create an emotional atmosphere, letting the figure seem to float inside the hue as if suspended in thought.

As a teenager, Von Werefkin (1860–1938) trained with the famous artist Ilya Repin (1844–1930) and showed extraordinary talent. By the age of 20, she was nicknamed the “Russian Rembrandt,” though some critics think this was an overstatement. In 1886, she moved to Munich with her partner, painter Alexej von Jawlensky (1864–1941), and stopped painting to focus on supporting his career. She became excellent at organizing salons where artists, writers, musicians, and other creatives shared bold ideas, and in her own work she often let colour carry the psychological weight of a figure, and in this portrait the restrained expression becomes more eloquent through the charged contrasts of blue, rose, and white.

She found creative freedom through trips to Italy and Paris. After moving to Paris in 1906, she unleashed her innovative spirit. Her paintings from this time stand out, depicting serious bohemians at café tables, lively circus tents, and peaceful riverside scenes. She used vibrant, contrasting colors, skewed perspectives, and simple compositions, making her an expressionist before the term even existed, and the small purple flower with its red centre breaks the blue field just enough to anchor the composition emotionally, a quiet accent she used to guide the viewer’s attention without disturbing the overall stillness.

However, Von Werefkin later struggled to keep up the momentum. After her Paris years, she returned to Germany. While she played a key role in the Der Blaue Reiter group, her paintings didn’t gain as much recognition as those of her mostly male peers. Still, she found new inspiration in Switzerland after moving there in 1918, and she often portrayed performers not as spectacles but as solitary, introspective figures, a sensibility that gives this portrait its statuesque, contemplative mood.

In Ascona, a scenic town by Lake Maggiore, Von Werefkin lived until her death in 1938. The peaceful surroundings and artistic community deeply influenced her later works, many of which reflected social issues like workers’ struggles and environmental concerns. Today, the Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna in Ascona holds the largest collection of her art.