Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin

A New York Philanthropic Jewish organization

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is in good condition. The reverse of the canvas seems to have been treated with a shiny adhesive yet as unconventional as this approach may be, the painting seems to be in very good condition. There appear to be no retouches. The painting may be slight dirty yet it is most likely best to leave the picture as is and to hang it in its current condition. The condition seems to be very good.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Following his journey to the Russian North in 1894, Korovin found a new source of inspiration, discovering the beauty of pearly tones and a broad and generalizing manner of painting close to that of Art Nouveau. Soon thereafter, Korovin designed the Northern pavilion at the All-Russian Exhibition held in 1896 in Nizhny Novgorod. The decoration of the pavilion was so successful that Korovin was appointed head artistic designer of the Russian pavilions at the Paris World's Fair of 1900, for which he painted thirty decorative panels and received a gold medal.

The experience of painting decorative panels for these exhibitions, combined with his love of theatrical work, prompted the artist's move toward monumentality, decorativeness, and the development of a sinuously linear style—all features prominent in At the Gates of the City. The impressions of Korovin's trip to the North are also reflected in this work, whose silvery and green palette is more reserved than the stark contrasts of bright colors seen in his Gurzuf Landscape. At the Gates of the City is characterized by the use of simple, strong contours, an interest in linear rhythms, and the reduction of three-dimensional forms to surface pattern. With its flat, simplified, rather primitivist style, Korovin created a work that truly belongs in the modernist tradition.