Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin

Structural Condition The canvas is unlined and has 2 canvas patches and 1 paper patch on the reverse. There are some very fine, slightly raised lines of craquelure in the heavily impastoed surface but these are stable and part of the natural drying process of the artist's materials. Paint Surface The paint surface has an even varnish layer. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows a few retouchings the most significant of which are: 1) an area on the upper horizontal framing edge which measures approximately 5 x 3 cms and further retouchings along the upper horizontal framing edge, 2) retouchings in the upper right of the composition including an area measuring approximately 6 x 2 cms, 3) pentimenti of an extension to the green railing which has been retouched, 4) some touches in the dark blue of the skyline and other small scattered spots. Summary The painting is in good and stable condition and no further work is required. Held in a gold painted wooden frame. Unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Korovin loved the early springs in the Crimea, the valleys full of almond and peach blossom, while the snow still lay on the distant mountain peaks. These were surroundings that naturally lent themselves to his impulsive, Impressionist style. As the art critic Avram Ephros wrote, "the extraordinarily refined, pictorially perfect, and often exquisitely airy small canvases [he] brought back from Spain, Italy, France, the Caucasus, and the Crimea (...) charmed the connoisseurs of the day.  (....) the Korovin of these works is the first Russian Impressionist and our best plein-air painter, in love with the vibrating light-and-air medium which envelops the visual world..." (A.M. Ephros, Mastera raznyh epoh. Izbrannye istoriko-hudozhestvennye i kriticheskie stat'i, Moscow: Sovetskii hudozhnik, 1979, p. 217)

It is with a true joie de vivre that the colours explode onto the canvas of the offered lot. The composition dances with light and in the torrent of pinks, purples and azure blues, there is a sense that life in all its vivacity and beauty is parading before our eyes. Korovin explained the sentiment at the core of his work as "the beauty and joy of life. The re-creation of this joy is the very essence of my picture, of every part of every piece of canvas I ever painted, of my ego..."

Fedor Chaliapin was a regular visitor to Korovin's villa in Gurzuf. The two friends enjoyed sitting on the terrace affectionately known as the 'frying pan', so hot did it become in the intense Crimean sun. Korovin painted many of his Crimean landscapes from this location and refers to it in his memoirs:
"the terrace was very spacious and extended over the sea with a vine-covered trellis (...) At each end, tall oleanders grew in large planters; their pink hues against the bright blue sea truly brightened up the rocky coastline."
(the artist cited in I.Zilbershtein and I.Samkov, Konstantin Korovin vspominaet, Moscow: Izobrazitel'noe iskusstvo, 1990, p.235, 232)