1891
oil on canvas
111,2 х 89

The portrait shows the impressionist artist Konstantin Alekseyevich Korovin (1861–1939), intimate friend and at the same time Serov's opposite in terms of painting temperament. For Serov, each work was an occasion for deep analysis, painful search, whereas for Korovin everything was as easy as a study, inclined as he was towards improvisation. Serov stylizes Korovin's impressionist manner, making fun of it with good-natured irony. At the same time, he is admiring juicy colourful brushstrokes, typical of Korovin's painting, its bright ornamentality, an example of which is the striped cushion depicted by him. The lightly-coloured walls of Korovin's studio feature quick studies from nature. By spotlighting for the viewer Korovin's sketch-book, always striking his friends by its disorder, Serov admires his skill of creating harmony out of chaos. Korovin's relaxed posture contrasts with his tense focused look. This is how Serov emphasized his friend's one-of-a-kind artist's eye, which helped him make an easy job of building colour and rhythm relations in the picture. Serov directs the viewer's attention in particularly to the subject's right hand, highlighting its movement as a professional gesture of the artist, used to holding a brush.

at 10, Lavrushinsky Lane, Hall 42