AbstractThe Russian painter Alexej Jawlensky, who worked in Munich between 1896 and 1914, was an important representative of Expressionism and abstract art in Germany. He was involved with the artistic group Der Blaue Reiter, whose members shared not only ideas about art but also an interest in questions of painting technique and painting materials. This paper aims to illuminate the working process of Jawlensky through research into the characteristics of his painting technique. It examines the paint supports and painting materials in specific works of art from Jawlensky's Munich period. This technical examination, together with the evaluation of written sources reveals the manifold artistic and technological influences that contributed to the development and peculiarities of Jawlensky's art. Comparisons with selected works by Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Munter show the strong influence Jawlensky's painting technique had on his artist friends, especially in the years 1908–1909.