Lot 169

Konstantin Korovin (1861 - 1939) PARISIAN STREET AT NIGHT

This painting of a Street at night in Paris is a prestigious example from the height of the career of Konstantin Korovin – an artist considered to be the most important exponent of Russian Impressionism. He made many visits to Paris, whose night-life filled with lights and strange contrasts inspired him to create a number of canvases featuring Parisian boulevards at night. His paintings are remarkable for their vivid color, which he mastered with absolutely natural virtuosity, allowing the impasto paints to emerge from the surface of the painting with impressive precision. This painting also features accentuated bold color contrasts achieved through his relaxed short strokes. The nervous impasto blows of the brush impart the effect of tense vibration to the painted surface while limiting descriptive details, solely using the painter’s skill and color as modes of expression. Korovin was also an excellent stage designer and the principal artist for the Bolshoi Theater. In his work for the theater he also strove to convey the emotional mood of the play, creating decorations and costumes in his Impressionist style. In 1900 he curated the arts section of the Russian exhibit at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. A regular traveller to France, in 1923 he settled permanently in the country and was decorated with the Legion of Honor for his contribution to the arts. The work was created near the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris.