Margaret's Garden 1910

Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin made this intimate garden scene with oil paints on canvas. The artist is laying down marks, dabs, and dashes of color, working quickly, intuitively, and spontaneously in the moment. I can imagine him, feeling the light, and the cool air of the day, his eyes darting back and forth between his subject and the painting surface. I wonder if he knew Margaret and what she thought of her garden. I particularly like the contrast between the cool blues and purples in the foliage and the warm oranges and pinks in the architecture. Korovin’s loose brushwork and vivid color choices seem to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty, so instead of precise detail, he evokes the atmosphere of the garden, like a fleeting memory. Painters are always having a conversation with other painters across time, aren’t they? And, looking at this, I'm reminded of some of Monet's garden paintings.