ˈæftɚ stˈʌdiz æt ðɪ ɐkˈædəmi ʌv fˈaɪn ˈɑːɹts kˈɑːɹlsɹuːh hiː wɛnt tə mjˈuːnɪk ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪt, wˌɛɹ hiː mˈɛt ɐ nˈʌmbɚɹ ʌv mˈɑːdɚnˌɪsts sˈʌtʃ ɐz ɐlˈɛksɛdʒ vˈɑːn dʒɔːlˈɛnski, wˈɑːsɪli kændˈɪnski ænd ɡˈæbɹiːl mˈuːntɚ.
After studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe he went to Munich in 1908, where he met a number of modernists such as Alexej von Jawlensky, Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter.