Set Design for the ballet Ts Puni Humpbacked Horse 1914

Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin made this set design for the ballet Ts Puni Humpbacked Horse with what looks like gouache or watercolor, and maybe some pastel? The way he's slapped on these colors is a kind of daredevil act, a bravado of intuition. Look at how the blues and purples in the upper part of the painting give the sense of an outdoor space, while the lower part, with the ochres and earth tones, provide a base. Korovin’s brushstrokes are so direct, almost like he’s sculpting the light itself. Notice that cluster of pink blooms on the right – they’re not carefully rendered petals, but rather juicy daubs of color. These little moments of concentrated pigment draw you in. They almost vibrate against the cool blues and purples that surround them. It makes me think of the radical color choices of someone like Matisse, but with a Russian sensibility. Like, what is seeing anyway? With Korovin, as with all great painting, it is more of a felt experience.