Roses on a Window Sill, Gurzuf 1917

Konstantin Korovin made "Roses on a Window Sill, Gurzuf", with oil on canvas, and the marks are so gestural and full of energy. You can see the artist building up the image, stroke by stroke, dab by dab, almost compulsively, until these roses emerge from a frenzy of paint. It's so intimate, I feel like I'm right there with Korovin, peering through the window at night. I can almost imagine him in that moment, grappling with the fleeting beauty of the roses against the dark, mysterious background. It’s a very physical painting. The paint is thick, almost sculptural in places, especially in the blooms. Look at the blues and purples on the windowsill! Such juicy colour. And that one stroke of white paint that makes the highlight on the vase – so simple, yet it brings the whole painting to life. You can see the influence of Impressionism, but Korovin has his own voice, his own way of capturing light and feeling. It reminds me of other artists who painted floral still lifes like Emil Nolde. Painters are always in dialogue, aren't they? Each one building on the work of those who came before, and pushing the conversation forward.