Actress Hope Komarovskaya 1919

Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin created this oil painting of Actress Hope Komarovskaya, in his distinct impressionistic style, with loose brushstrokes and vibrant colours. I can imagine Korovin layering the paint, trying out different combinations to capture the essence of the scene. It's kind of like jazz; each brushstroke improvising on the last one. The thick daubs of paint create a sense of immediacy, as if the painting has just come into being. Notice the redness of the jacket, made of strokes of pink, red and orange. The way Korovin handles the light and shadow, like around the window, brings a sense of atmosphere to the scene. Maybe he was trying to capture a fleeting moment, a particular mood, or a feeling. It reminds me of the way painters like Berthe Morisot used colour to evoke emotion, and how this dialogue stretches across time and place. Painting is an ongoing conversation, inspiring new ways of seeing and feeling.