Portrait of Chaliapin 1911

Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin painted this portrait of Chaliapin with oils on canvas, and wow, you can really see the brushstrokes. It feels like a quick study, almost like Korovin was trying to capture a fleeting moment or a mood. I can imagine him standing there, brush in hand, trying to get down what he saw as quickly as possible. Just look at the way he suggests the light filtering through the window, and the way he paints the folds in Chaliapin’s white suit – it’s all so loose and free. What might it have been like for him to be there, trying to capture not just what he saw, but what he felt being in the presence of this operatic legend? I especially love the way he’s rendered the face, with those quick strokes of paint that somehow manage to capture Chaliapin’s personality. Painters are always looking at each other’s work, and I bet Korovin had seen some of Manet’s portraits. It’s like artists are in constant conversation, learning from and riffing off one another. And that’s what painting is all about, right? It’s about trying to capture something real, even if it’s just a feeling.