Born in Moscow (1861) and for the first time visiting the capital of France in 1887, K. A. Korovin forever loved this festive city and the art of the Impressionists. Sometimes it seems that before the eyes of Konstantin Alekseevich there was always a noisy and funny picture - Paris. He came to him in 1892, 1893, then repeatedly in the first decade of the XX century, and since 1923 he lived in it. The city occupied his imagination at any time of the day.
Awakening Parisians
The artist looks at the city from above. This is a picture of “Paris. Morning ”(1907). Without lights, the city is lit only by an orange speck of sun. Everything is covered in a gray fog through which walls, windows with cornices, a narrow street with rare passers-by are hardly visible. Puffs of smoke rise from the chimneys. All houses lost their clarity. The painting "Paris. Morning ”gives the impression of chilliness and an uncomfortable working life. A completely different mood is caused by the evening and night landscapes of Paris.
Memoirs of contemporaries about K. Korovin
He was a cheerful and charming conversationalist who, with his stories, could captivate the romantic Turgenev young ladies and their aunts and grandmothers. He was the soul and favorite of any company. It was no coincidence that this joker with a cheerful character found his artistic style. Any painting “Paris” (1907, 1933) will tell more about the painter than all the memories. Late in the evening and at night, bright light floods the squares and boulevards where Parisians walk or return from theaters and restaurants. And how good the “Moulin Rouge” is a source of joy and enjoyment of a stormy life.
What contrasting colors it is filled tightly! Bright, lit like the sun, evening lights, the greenery of the trees frames the red mill, whose blades are dotted with lights. The ultramarine facade of the left side of the building harmoniously merges with the iridescent green color of the crowns of trees and contrasts with the side painted in joyful scarlet. Under the flat roof, the Moulin Rouge is unbearably light from the sheer number of lights. This light floods, slightly weakening, the entire area in front of him. It is difficult to see the contours of people and cars. The magnificent “Moulin Rouge” created for fun draws the viewer in.
Evening city
The painting "Paris after the rain" is full of sadness and despondency. I involuntarily recall the lines of Paul Verlaine: "The sky above the city is crying, crying and my heart." The city is dark, dull, the contours of trunks without leaves and the silhouettes of houses are barely visible. And next in contrast, you can put the night “Paris Boulevard”, which goes into the distance, where an ineffable blue sky opens.
Its reflections turn blue on the pavement and cover the bluish-black color of the edges of the houses in the distance. From the light of streetlights and advertising lights in small cafes, the red brick facades of houses with luminous windows, bright cars on the pavement are clearly visible. She plays under their light with reddish-golden hues. Once again, a city-holiday, a city-dream opens up before us, where everyone will be happy to walk, especially if he has a notebook for sketches or an easel in his hands.
Romance of Paris
Full of emotions and elevated enthusiastic feelings, the mood is created by the paintings of K. Korovin in evening and night Paris: bright lights and reflections of his lights, vanity or unhurried movement of smart passers-by, flickering cars. We look at the picture and see the spectacle as if on stage, although the artist did not set a staging effect. The real picture of Paris gives entertainment and fantastic. The view from the window or from the balcony opens a theatrical performance right on the street. Something constantly happens in him. Only the artist stops before us the moment of beauty.
The romantic attitude of the painter is transmitted to the viewer by the power of color contrasts. Autumn "Paris" (1933) is flooded with golden light. Sparkling golden red foliage on the trees. Lilac shades appear on the silvery evening sky. The outlines of houses hide and dissolve, but cafes and restaurants shine bright under awnings, numerous pedestrians cross the road, smartly drive cars, life is full of adventures unknown to us and sudden or planned meetings.
After another rain
And again it rained, but what a joy he brought! Paris has many faces.
Here is the picture "Paris after the rain." Photography is unlikely to convey all the festive shades of a smart street, the lack of routine in everything. The bluish-lilac sky, all in complex shades, puts glare on the pavement. They mix with the light coming from numerous cafes, reflect on the red-orange brick walls of residential buildings. Windows framed by blue shutters glow with warm gold. On three classic colors: red, yellow and blue, the color scheme of the picture is built. They make you remember the favorite colors of the Renaissance, transferred to the XX century. The painting “Paris after the Rain” (author K. Korovin) reflects the music of the artist’s soul. Some elusive charm lives in this canvas, a new understanding of beauty, trepidation and charm.
"Absolute hearing" on the signs of life allowed the master to see what others do not notice. This cannot be learned. If this was given to the painter by nature, then along with hard work and abilities masterpieces are born, which are many of K. Korovin's.