Konstantin Korovin. On The Shores of the Black Sea

Oils on canvas. 143 x 103 cm.

The creative output of the outstanding Russian painter Konstantin Korovin – 1861 to 1939 – was extremely wide-ranging. There are a number of his works to be found in the collection of the Sevastopol Art Museum. These include landscapes from different periods of his work, still life studies, and sketches which he made for theatrical scenery.

Korovin's life and work were always very closely bound up with Crimea. In the early 1900s he purchased some land at Gurzufé, where he then proceeded to build a house to his own designs. Today the house is a creative retreat for artists. Korovin loved Crimea very much – the sun, the air, the sea, the roses – which made him want to keep coming back here at different times of the year. He enjoyed the feeling of freedom it gave him - the chance to breath, live, and work. His friends often came to visit him here – one frequent guest was the famous opera singer Fyodor Chaliapine.

This painting, 'On The Shores of the Black Sea' can really be called programmatic within the artist's output of the early 1900s. Korovin rejected the idea of including any kind of story in the painting, nor has even painted some particular subject here – he has simply painted what he found in his field of vision. A lonely and pensive woman is sitting by the shore of the sea, and nature seems to chime with her feelings. She is shown in delicate and subdued way, in half-tones, almost summing up the genre of outdoor paintings of the era. Her face is shown softly and unobtrusively, seemingly illustrating the 'subtle music' of her mood.