Lot 22 : Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin , 1861-1939 Boulevard des Capucines oil on canvas

Konstantin Korovin - 1861-1939

Auction Location: United Kingdom - 2008
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Title:

Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin , 1861-1939 Boulevard des Capucines oil on canvas

Description:

signed in Cyrillic and dated 1912 l.l. oil on canvas

Dimensions:

74.5 by 92cm., 29 1/4 by 36 1/4 in.

Provenance:

Christie's New York, Russian Works of Art, 31st October 1990, lot 45

Notes:

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION
Boulevard des Capucines is typical of the impulsive yet subtle character of Korovin's paintings. Whilst clearly influenced by Claude Monet's technique of building up a painting through gradations of shade, texture and colour, it is the aerial perspective of Korovin's compositions which sets his oeuvre apart. It is often said of Korovin that he was the first to introduce Impressionism to the stage in his designs, but the reverse is also true. The space created between the viewer and the scene portrayed gives as sense of theatricality and harks back to Korovin's earlier experience as a set designer: we are onlookers to the spectacle of life below. The offered lot belongs to a group of night views of Paris, most of which are held in Russian public collections (fig.1). By choosing night scenes, Korovin was able to exploit the tonal contrasts between the bright, vivid street-lighting and the darkness of the sky. The picture is brought to life by fast, broad and almost crude brush-work which enhances these complex colour juxtapositions. As Konstantin Yuon commented, "Korovin's painting is the embodiment in imagery of the artist's happiness and joy of living. All the colours of the world beckoned to him and smiled at him". In Boulevard des Capucines surfaces are used to explore the wealth of texture and colour and his subjects seem to radiate light themselves. One of Korovin's students remarked that, "his greatest joy was the fascinating process of battling with nature, at the end of which a new, second life, enriched by the artist's poetic feeling, would emerge on the canvas."