Paris

Konstantin Korovin prints bring the lamplit boulevards of Paris and the snowbound villages of old Russia into your home. Korovin was the leading Russian Impressionist, a painter who caught light and atmosphere with quick, loose brushwork and who also changed how opera and ballet stages looked. Our collection of fine art prints covers his Paris night scenes, winter troikas, still lifes, Siberian landscapes and theatre designs.

About Konstantin Korovin

Konstantin Alekseyevich Korovin was born in Moscow on 5 December 1861 into a wealthy merchant family of Old Believers. His father cared more for art and music than for business, and his older brother Sergei became a well-known realist painter. In 1875 Konstantin entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he studied with Vasily Perov, Alexei Savrasov and later Vasily Polenov, and made lifelong friends of Valentin Serov and Isaac Levitan.

A trip to Paris and Spain in 1885 was a turning point. He later wrote that in the Impressionists he found everything he had been scolded for at home. Polenov introduced him to Savva Mamontov's Abramtsevo circle, and Korovin began designing sets for Mamontov's private opera, including Aida, Lakmé and Carmen. Journeys to the Russian north and Norway in 1888 and 1894, the second with Serov, produced grey, silvery landscapes such as Hammerfest: Aurora Borealis.

Korovin designed the Far North pavilion at the 1896 All-Russia Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod and the Central Asia section of the Russian pavilion at the 1900 Paris World Fair, which earned him the Legion of Honour. He then moved to the Mariinsky Theatre, where his sets for Faust, The Little Humpbacked Horse and Sadko were praised for setting the mood of a whole performance. He became an Academician in 1905 and taught at the Moscow school from 1909 to 1913.

In 1923 he left for Paris, partly for his health. The works meant for a large exhibition there were stolen, and for years he painted Russian winters and Paris boulevards to make ends meet, while still designing for theatres across Europe and beyond. He died in Paris on 11 September 1939.

Style and Subjects

Korovin painted in short, lively strokes, more interested in light and mood than in fine detail. His Paris pictures, such as the night boulevards and café scenes, glow with street lamps reflected on wet pavements. His northern landscapes are built from delicate greys, while his Crimean still lifes, like Roses on a Window Sill, Gurzuf, are full of warm colour and sunlight.

His work for the theatre shows the same love of colour on a bigger scale. Designs such as the Stage Design for Le Coq d'Or are bold, decorative and full of Russian folk-tale atmosphere.

Famous Works

• A Chorus Girl (1887), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. An early portrait painted with the free, open touch that made him one of the first Russian Impressionists.
• In the Boat (1888), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. A summer scene on the water painted in the year of his first trip north.
• Northern Idyll (1892), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. A stylised Russian scene that reflects the Abramtsevo circle's love of folk themes.
• Hammerfest: Aurora Borealis (1894), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Northern lights over the Norwegian port, painted in soft greys and blues on his trip with Serov.
• Paper Lanterns (1896), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. A warm summer evening lit by coloured lanterns.
• Siberian Landscape (1901), National Museum in Warsaw. A broad view of the Siberian countryside.
• Boulevard des Capucines (1911), Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. One of his many views of the busy Paris boulevards.
• With Bears in Siberia (1921), National Museum in Warsaw. A lively northern scene from his last years in Russia.

Decorating with Korovin Prints

Korovin's Paris night scenes, such as Paris by Night and Parisian Boulevard at Night, suit a living room, dining room or home bar, where their warm lamplight adds atmosphere in the evening. The snowy troika and village pictures are natural choices for a cosy den, a cabin-style room or a winter seasonal display.

His flower still lifes and Crimean views bring colour to a kitchen or breakfast nook, and the theatre designs make a striking group in a music room, study or hallway.

FAQ

What art movement was Konstantin Korovin part of?

Korovin is known as the leading Russian Impressionist. He later worked in an Art Nouveau manner too, exhibited with the Peredvizhniki and joined the Mir iskusstva (World of Art) group in the 1890s.

What is Konstantin Korovin's most famous painting?

Well-known works include Paper Lanterns (1896), Hammerfest: Aurora Borealis (1894) and his many Paris boulevard scenes such as Boulevard des Capucines (1911).

Where can I see Korovin's paintings?

The Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow holds the largest group, including the large panels from his Far North pavilion. Other works are in the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the National Museum in Warsaw and the Musée d'Orsay.

Did Korovin design for the theatre?

Yes. He designed sets for Mamontov's private opera, the Mariinsky Theatre and Stanislavsky's productions, and in later life for theatres around the world, including a famous Golden Cockerel for the Turin opera house.

Why did Korovin paint so many Paris scenes?

Paris was one of his favourite subjects from the 1890s onward, and after he settled there in 1923 he painted boulevards and Russian winters to support his family.

Related Artists

• Isaac Levitan: fellow student and lifelong friend from the Moscow school
• Léon Bakst: fellow member of the World of Art group and theatre designer
• Ivan Bilibin: designer of Russian folk-tale scenes and stage sets in the same years
• Ilya Repin: member of the Abramtsevo circle Korovin joined in the 1880s