Emporium in Grad-capital. 1912 Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin (1861-1939)

Description of Konstantin Korovin’s painting "Theater

Konstantin Korovin was primarily a theatrical artist. To this day, plays in Korovin’s design are still performed and revived in our country. Initially, Konstantin studied at an art school at the architecture department - which apparently helped him a great deal later on in creating scenery and in seeing the perspective of the theatrical stage.

Korovin based his work on the principles of Impressionism, but he rarely repeated the techniques typical of that style of painting. Korovin’s work is more tangible and concrete, and you can say that he created his own concept of Impressionism. In his canvases the artist was often inspired by Spain, the typical images of this bright southern country at the time; many of the sketches of scenery he created are reminiscent of the Moorish mosaic by their fractional, sunny contrasts.

While working at Mamontov’s private theater, Korovin most often had to decorate fairy tales; it was the fairy tale that most clearly demonstrated his talent as an artist. The fantasy, illusory sketches of the artist often resemble dreams rather than reality; for the theatrical stage his unusual creativity was a great find.

Korovin’s painting The Theater is a complete embodiment of the stage scenery for the play The Little Humpbacked Horse based on Yershov’s fairy tale. The square with its brightly colored tents forms the perspective of the composition. The central characters are dressed in colorful costumes, creating the illusion of an Oriental fairy tale. The terems visible in the background are the quintessence of the holiday; ethnically they combine the picturesque structures of Russian constructions with elements of oriental decor.