Parisian cafe Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin (1861-1939)

Description of Konstantin Korovin’s painting "Paris Cafe".

Before us are several sketches by the artist, made in the 1890s under the impression of a trip to France. These paintings fully embody the principles of one of the brightest modernist movements, Impressionism, which flourished in the last third of the century before last.

Note that Korovin depicts a cafe in the morning. There are not many visitors yet, and the sun’s rays have not yet had time to lose their silver hue, in which all objects and the entire surrounding world risk to drown. The tables, the street, the people-it all loses its contours, gets slightly blurred.

Even the color of the red umbrella in the hands of one of the women softens and becomes matt. It seems that the artist as if transferred to the canvas urban scene, caught from the endless stream of life. Looking at the picture, you may recall the poems of some urban poet, conveying in words the vibrant life of the city.

It is hardly necessary to say that Korovin was guided by the experience of the French Impressionists. At the same time he certainly cannot be accused of blindly following Monet or Pissarro. On the contrary, the artist sought to experiment. Thus, Korovin took the risk of using earth colors, in order to achieve the necessary shade of gray. Actively using the artist and black, which, however, does not stand out from the general background, not to create heavyweight.

On the contrary, the canvas created during the period of the artist’s fascination for silver coloring only creates a sense of lightness and freedom. Besides, masterfully depicted streets, fresh greenery make the canvases very bright, unforgettable, even smart, if I may say so.

So the sketches "Paris Café" are worthy examples of Konstantin Korovin’s work, certainly delighting fans of his talent. Unfortunately, not all contemporary critics of the artist recognized this fact.