Among the classics of the Russian art school, the name of Konstantin Korovin occupies an honorable place. This man has lived a dignified and difficult life. Today his paintings are kept in the best museums around the world.
Starting conditions
Some experts believe that painting is easy for one, without much stress, and for another, with great difficulty. Has the right to life and a different opinion. The whole secret is hidden in natural abilities, character traits and working capacity. You can draw pictures with paints, pencil or in another way in a special educational institution. However, not everyone can see the world around them. Passing a birch grove, one person will admire the beauty of the landscape, while another will quickly calculate how much firewood can be prepared at this place.
The talented Russian artist Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin was born on December 5, 1861 in a wealthy merchant family. Parents at that time lived in Moscow. Grandfather Mikhail, an Old Believer, a merchant of the first guild, owned and operated Yam stations. Hundreds of coachmen worked for it, transporting goods and passengers from the capital to Nizhny Novgorod and in the opposite direction. His son Alexey received a university education. He married Polina Volkova, a girl from a noble family. However, Alexey did not inherit the business acumen of his father.
In a short time, intensive construction of railways began, and the coachmen with their troikas and sashes were a thing of the past. Alexey Korovin got entangled in debt and was declared bankrupt. The house was sold at an auction to pay off the debt, and the family moved to the village of Mytishchi near Moscow. Konstantin grew up as the youngest child in the family and in everything he took an example from his brother Sergei, who was three years older. He liked life in the village. Mother brought up the children at home. She painted well with watercolors and knew how to play the harp.
Little Kostya watched with admiration many times how his mother prepared paints and brushes. And then he transfers it to a sheet of paper, where after a few moments the drawing appears. Then he watched the work of his older brother. The time came, and he, too, was allowed to "stain" the paper sheet. The future artist liked the process. At the same time, the situation in the house deteriorated. My father worked for a short time as an accountant at a sawmill. Then, after a prolonged depression, he went into a binge and committed suicide. A mother with two children in her arms was left almost without a livelihood.
The path to the profession
In 1875, following his older brother, Konstantin entered the Moscow School of Painting. In his first year, he studied at the creative workshop of Alexei Savrasov. The venerable artist taught his wards to find characteristic details in a landscape before taking up a brush. A year later, the talented mentor was fired, and Korovin came under the tutelage of Vasily Polenov. It is important to note that by that time, Russian artists for the most part gave preference to the plot of the picture. Color, shades and halftones receded into the background.
Under the influence of Polenov, the beginning painter first of all formed the color composition. In the last quarter of the 19th century, a new direction in artistic creation was born in France - impressionism. Konstantin Korovin by that time did not yet know about this trend. He simply painted "Portrait of a Chorus Girl" in the technique that his mentor taught him. To the surprise and joy of the young artist, connoisseurs liked the painting, although not everyone. Korovin was introduced to the famous philanthropist Savva Mamontov, who considered it necessary to take care of the young talent.
Mamontov attracted Konstantin to work on the sets for his private opera, which was located in the Abramtsevo estate. The operas Aida and Carmen were staged here. The play "Snow Maiden". In 1892, Korovin went to France at the expense of a patron to gain experience and create new paintings. The artist lived for almost three years in Paris and its environs. As a report to his trustee, he brought paintings “Paris. Boulevard of the Capuchins "," After the Rain "," Parisian Cafe ". Returning to his native land, Korovin continued to work fruitfully in his own individual manner.
On the rolls of history
At the beginning of the 20th century, Korovin began to receive large-scale orders for the design of commercial events. He designed a pavilion called "The Far North" at the All-Russian Fair in Nizhny Novgorod. At the World Exhibition in Paris, the painter painted three dozen sets for the Handicraft Department of the Russian Pavilion. When the First World War began, the artist consulted specialists from the General Staff on camouflage issues.
After the revolution, the artist was involved in the work of educating the masses. He lectured, taught students the rules of drawing. After some time, the Korovin family was evicted from their dacha. Additional tenants were added to the city apartment. This procedure was called "compaction".
Private life
The artist met his wife Anna Fiedler in his early youth. The personal life of the young was difficult. They were able to become husband and wife only after the birth of their first child. Much to the grief of the parents, the child soon died of a contagious disease. A few years later, the second son, Alyosha, was born. By a tragic accident, at the age of sixteen, he fell under a tram and was left without legs.
In 1923, Korovin left Moscow for Paris on a far-fetched pretext. But the situation in the once beloved city has changed dramatically. Once a famous artist had to make odd jobs. The wife began to get sick. Konstantin Alekseevich stretched out with all his might. But one day my heart could not stand it. The artist died in September 1939 from a heart attack. He was buried in Paris at the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
