Woman portrait 1922

Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin painted this portrait of a woman using oil paint, and it feels like a real embrace of the stuff. The paint application is really something, isn't it? Short, broken brushstrokes create a sense of movement and energy. Look at the way he builds up the form of the woman's fur stole and her dress, it’s all about these jabs of color, like he’s sculpting with the brush. The palette is relatively muted but enlivened with touches of bright yellow and pink, which give the painting a vibrant feel. For me, the most striking passage is how Korovin renders the flowers. They are barely there, just a few daubs of color, but they evoke the presence of something alive and delicate. It reminds me a little of Manet, who also used loose brushwork to create a sense of immediacy and fleeting beauty. Art is always speaking to art.