Marianne von Werefkin was an outstanding representative of German Expressionism. Together with Alexej von Jawlensky, Werefkin moved to Munich in 1896. She put aside her own artistic work in order to devote herself to nurturing Jawlensky’s talents, but she did initiate a lively art salon. She began painting again during her stays in Murnau with Alexej von Jawlensky, Gabriele Münter and Wassily Kandinsky, and from then on, Werefkin exhibited her works together with the group 'Der Blaue Reiter' as well as the 'Neue Künstlervereinigung München'. The main theme of her oeuvre is the pre-cariousness of human existence at the mercy of invisible forces in nature as well as the nature within us. Following the outbreak of World War I, Werefkin and Jawlensky moved to Switzerland; in 1921, their relationship finally ended in Ascona, where Werefkin lived and worked until her death.
