plate no. 7914

A Street in Vichy

Konstantín Korovin, 1911

oil, canvasImpressionismcityscapecityscapebuildingtreesfiguresstreetcafe

recreation guide

Konstantin Korovin’s 'A Street in Vichy' (1911) is a quintessential example of Russian Impressionism, characterized by its focus on atmospheric light and transient visual effects rather than rigid linear detail. As a cityscape, it falls within the genre of landscape painting that depicts urban environments, where the artist captures the interplay of light on paved surfaces and architectural forms (Source 5). The work likely employs the principles of simultaneous contrast, where colors are juxtaposed to enhance their vibrancy and create a sense of optical mixing, a technique central to Impressionist practice (Source 3). Korovin’s approach would involve capturing the 'great effects' of light and atmosphere, allowing smaller details to emerge spontaneously from the contrast of tones and hues (Source 3).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (primary set: Ultramarine, Cadmium Yellow, Vermilion/Red Ochre, White)	For building the color structure and glazes	—
Oil of Copavia or Linseed Oil	Medium for the initial underpainting and glazing layers	Stand oil or walnut oil for slower drying
Canvas	Support for the oil painting	—
Varnish	For final glazing and protection, if following the traditional method described	Dammar varnish
Palette Knife	For scumbling and applying semi-opaque layers	—

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be primed with a traditional ground. While specific preparation for this exact canvas is not detailed in the sources, Korovin’s Impressionist style often involved working on a neutral or slightly toned ground to facilitate the glazing techniques described in historical practice (Source 1).

underdrawing

Impressionist artists like Korovin typically minimized visible underdrawing, preferring to sketch lightly with charcoal or thinned paint to establish composition without leaving hard lines that would interfere with the optical blending of colors. The sources do not specify Korovin’s exact underdrawing method, so a light, non-committal sketch is recommended.

underpainting

A grisaille (monochrome underpainting) is recommended, following the traditional method described in Source 1. This involves painting the composition in black, ultramarine, and white using oil of copavia as a medium. This layer establishes the value structure (chiaroscuro) and allows the artist to mentally extract red and yellow tones, focusing on the underlying form and light before applying color (Source 1).

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure pigment

Underpainting and cool shadows, consistent with the traditional method described (Source 1)

White

Lead White or Titanium White

Underpainting and highlighting, essential for value structure (Source 1)

Black

Ivory Black or Lamp Black

Underpainting for dark values (Source 1)

Yellow tones

Cadmium Yellow or Chrome Yellow

Glazing and scumbling to introduce warmth and light, as per the glazing method (Source 1)

Red tones

Vermilion or Cadmium Red

Glazing and scumbling to introduce warmth and contrast, as per the glazing method (Source 1)

composition

The composition should avoid exact bisections and place the center of interest off-center to maintain visual interest (Source 7). The horizon line should be positioned to emphasize either the sky or the street, depending on the desired atmospheric effect, rather than dividing the canvas equally (Source 7). The viewer’s eye should be led through the scene via lines and contrasts, ensuring that no spaces between objects are identical to create a dynamic structure (Source 7).

step by step

underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underpainting

step 01
Create a grisaille underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Focus on establishing the value structure and chiaroscuro of the street scene.
Tip — Ensure this layer is completely dry before proceeding. Mentally extract red and yellow colors to focus on form and light (Source 1).
Grisaille

first pass

step 02
Apply transparent glazes of yellow and red tones over the dry grisaille. Use oil as a medium initially.
Tip — Apply these colors much like tinting an engraving with watercolors, allowing the underlying monochrome to show through (Source 1).
Glazing

refining

step 03
Use scumbling techniques to apply semi-opaque layers of color, particularly over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms where needed.
Tip — Observe how the underlying painting makes itself felt through the semi-opaque layer. This helps in creating atmospheric effects (Source 1).
Scumbling
step 04
Enhance color contrasts by placing complementary colors next to each other to increase vibrancy and create optical mixing effects.
Tip — Be aware that juxtaposing colors will insensibly enfeeble the higher tone and heighten the lower tone, creating a true gradation of light (Source 3).
Simultaneous Contrast

finishing

step 05
Adjust values and hues by mixing colors with their complements to neutralize without shifting hue, rather than adding black or white which can cause unwanted hue shifts.
Tip — Adding black to yellows or reds can shift them toward green or blue; use complements for darkening to maintain hue integrity (Source 6).
Color Neutralization

varnishing

step 06
Once the painting is fully dry, apply a final glaze using a mixture of varnish and oil if desired, to deepen colors and unify the surface.
Tip — This step should only be taken after gaining sufficient mastery over the previous glazing techniques (Source 1).
Final Glazing

critical techniques

Glazing

Applying transparent coats of color over a dry underpainting to build up luminosity and depth. This was a method practiced by old masters and is described as tinting an engraving (Source 1).

Scumbling

Applying semi-opaque paint over a darker ground to create coldness or grey blooms, allowing the underlying layer to influence the final appearance (Source 1).

Simultaneous Contrast

Juxtaposing colors to enhance their vibrancy and create optical effects. This is crucial for Impressionist painting to achieve 'great effects' (Source 3).

Complementary Mixing

Using complementary colors to neutralize and darken hues without shifting the hue, avoiding the pitfalls of adding black or white (Source 6).

common pitfalls

→Adding black to warm colors like yellow or red can cause an unwanted shift toward green or blue; use complements instead for darkening (Source 6).
→Adding white to reds or oranges can cause a shift toward blue; correct this by adding a small amount of an adjacent color like orange (Source 6).
→Failing to let the grisaille underpainting dry completely before glazing can ruin the transparency and clarity of the final layers (Source 1).
→Placing the horizon line exactly in the middle of the canvas can create a static and uninteresting composition (Source 7).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific details of the street scene in Vichy (e.g., specific buildings, figures, or objects) are not described in the sources, so the artist must rely on reference images or imagination for these elements.
·Korovin’s exact palette for this specific painting is not detailed; the suggested palette is based on general Impressionist practice and the glazing method described in Source 1.
·The specific brushwork style (e.g., dabbing, sweeping strokes) characteristic of Korovin is not explicitly described in the sources, though it is implied by the Impressionist style.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Simultaneous contrast and color juxtaposition

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Mixing colors with complements to avoid hue shifts
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 6 — applied to Compositional rules like horizon line placement and center of interest
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 13 — applied to Genre classification as cityscape