Russian Art
Korovin, K. A.
"Fiodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, Portrait". 1911
Notes: Portrait of Fiodor Ivanovich Chaliapin (1873-1938), singer.
"Portrait of Fiodor Ivanovich Chaliapin," 1873-1938, the great operatic bass, was painted in 1911 at a small resort in the town of Vichy, France. A singer of robust presence and outstanding dramatic expression, Chaliapin is considered by many as one of the greatest actor-singers of the century. Actress N.I. Konarovskaia, a friend who watched Korovin work on the portrait, commented on his fidelity in depicting Chaliapin's state of "power, freshness, and health."
Comparing this portrait of Chaliapin with the famous image of the singer painted in 1922 by Boris Kustodiev (see ImageBase: Kustodiev 4), one finds that Korovin produced a more informal, relaxed image of the singer. The Kustodiev portrait, by contrast, seems more contrived.
