Inscribed with the artist's address on the reverse, “Am Blumenbeet” verifies Marianne von Werefkin's time in Munich. In 1896, she left St. Petersburg for the art hub Munich. Together with her maid Helene Nesnakomoff and her partner Alexej von Jawlensky, she lived in a spacious apartment at Giselastraße 23. The daughter of a wealthy Russian nobleman established the salon of the “Giselists,” a discussion group of artists and writers that soon enjoyed a reputation as the meeting place of Munich's avant-garde.
Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter were also regular guests at the salon. Back in Russia, Werefkin was a student of Ilya Repin, the country's most important realist painter, also known as the “Russian Rembrandt.” In Munich, she selflessly gave up her career for 10 years to support Jawlensky, who had long been in a romantic relationship with her maid Helene. Eventually, Jawlensky married Helene in 1922, which made for a highly delicate and tense situation. Werefkin did not return to painting before 1906, at which point she immediately produced a series of impressive, innovative, and distinctive compositions.
“Am Blumenbeet” (At the Flower Bed) shows two strollers deeply engaged in a conversation in front of an urban backdrop, as might have been seen from one of Munich's parks. The ambivalent mood characteristic of Werefkin's paintings lingers in the air. A sky rendered in a dramatic shade of blue looms above the dreary row of houses, the lush green lawn, and the path lined with barren trees. The eponymous flower bed occupies a relatively small area to the side. A female figure, who appears to be a gardener, stands slightly back on the left side of the park. Werefkin selected her colors without any purely descriptive effect. Instead, she filled them with meaning. Threatening and calming elements unite to create a compelling whole. The conversation and intense exchange of ideas between the two figures pausing in front of the blossoming flower bed take center stage. The role of the nursing gardener, which Werefkin herself played for Jawlensky for many years, is clearly reflected in the composition. Elements of her personal life can be found in this composition, providing insight into her emotional world. [EH]