The Curtain Sketch of the play La Ronde des Heures 

Editor: So, this is Konstantin Korovin's "The Curtain Sketch of the play La Ronde des Heures," done in watercolor. The colors feel so dreamlike and fantastical. What draws your eye to this piece? Curator: The materiality is really quite compelling, isn’t it? The transparency of watercolor as a medium applied to the context of theatrical design highlights the very means of production. We're seeing not just the final design but the ephemeral, process-oriented nature of theatre itself. Notice the visible brushstrokes, the way the washes create depth without obscuring the paper underneath. Does it seem finished or a work in progress to you? Editor: I think that unfinished quality is really striking, you can see how the painting becomes an artwork. It makes you wonder about the labor involved. I wonder, was it common to see this kind of loose, impressionistic style in theatre design at the time? Curator: Exactly! It begs the question: Who consumes such preliminary sketches? What value did Korovin's contemporaries place on this labor? Was it simply a means to an end, or did the sketch itself function as an object of aesthetic interest? Thinking about Fauvism, you may see here its visual hallmarks of the bold colour palettes, but also the break with mimetic representation, and also an investigation into artifice. Editor: It's like the materials themselves become the message. So, the watercolor reminds us of its own artistic creation. Thanks, that really opened up my eyes to the context! Curator: Absolutely, by examining the materials and production, we're able to glimpse into the artifice of theatre and also artistic license itself.