plate no. 4922

Montmartre in the evening

Konstantín Korovin, 1930

oilImpressionismcityscapecityscapebuildingstreesstreetfiguresnight

what to study here

It shows how an evening street can be organized by one warm-to-cool value divide, loose broken strokes, and minimal detail.

The main lesson here is how a night street is built from a warm side and a cool side with very little hard edge. The left half carries the light: lit façades and street in warm ochre-brown, with the window and street illumination as the lightest notes. The right half drops into cool brown-purple shadow, with tree shapes rising into a dark upper corner. Squint and the whole picture reads as one gradient from light on the left to dark on the right, with mid-tones covering most of the street and walls. Look at how the strokes stay visible and adjacent colors sit side by side rather than being blended. Edges are soft where light turns to shadow and firmer only where a form catches light. The figures are a few quick dark marks, not drawn shapes. The street narrows into the distance, which gives depth without detail. The darks are not one flat black: the observed palette runs from warm brown-greys through purple-blacks, so the shadows keep some temperature variation. Study it for value grouping, temperature contrast, and restraint with detail.

key decision

Korovin split the scene into a warm, lighter left and a cool, darker right, and kept strokes broken and edges soft so the contrast, not the drawing, carries the evening light.

recreation guide

Konstantin Korovin’s 'Montmartre in the evening' (1930) is a late-career cityscape that reflects his lifelong engagement with Impressionism, a style he embraced after finding inspiration in Paris in 1885 (Source 5). By 1930, Korovin was living in Paris, producing numerous 'Paris Boulevards' to support himself, often focusing on atmospheric effects and urban light (Source 7). The work likely exhibits the 'etude style' and delicate web of shades characteristic of his landscape work, particularly his northern landscapes which relied on subtle tonal variations (Source 6). As a leading Russian Impressionist, Korovin’s approach to cityscapes like this one would prioritize the capture of fleeting light and mood over rigid detail, consistent with his background in stage design where he sought to convey 'general emotions' through mood decor (Source 7).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Raw Umber, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre)	Primary pigments for underpainting and glazing	—
Oil of Copavia (or modern stand oil)	Medium for the first and second paintings as per Reynolds/Korovin tradition	Stand oil or linseed oil
Varnish	Mixed with oil for glazing to gain mastery over transparent layers	Dammar varnish
Turpentine	Thinner for initial washes and cleaning	Odorless mineral spirits
Charcoal	For initial drawing and shading	—
Canvas or Panel	Support surface	Linen canvas primed with gesso

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a neutral ground. While specific preparation for this 1930 canvas is not detailed, Korovin’s Impressionist practice and the cited oil painting techniques suggest a dry, absorbent surface to allow for glazing. The source notes that when the grisaille is 'quite dry,' one should proceed with glazing (Source 1). A white or light grey ground is typical for Impressionist works to enhance luminosity, though Korovin’s northern works used a 'delicate web of shades of grey' (Source 6), suggesting a mid-tone ground might be appropriate for evening scenes.

underdrawing

Draw and shade in charcoal first. The source advises to 'make all corrections while you can in the charcoal stage' because charcoal offers little resistance to a brush and can be erased with bread (Source 2). Do not hesitate to hold the brush against the model (or reference) to ascertain proportions. Keep the drawing slightly smaller than life to avoid scale distortions when viewing through a hand-glass (Source 2).

underpainting

Employ a monochrome underpainting (grisaille). The source recommends a method where the first and second paintings are done with oil of copavia using black, ultramarine, and white (Source 1). This stage involves 'mentally extracting the red and yellow colours' to establish the tonal structure without color interference (Source 1). This aligns with the 'old masters' technique cited, which Korovin, as a trained academician, would have been familiar with (Source 1).

color palette

Ultramarine/Blue-Grey

Ultramarine, White, Black

Underpainting and evening shadows; Korovin’s northern works are built on 'shades of grey' (Source 6)

Warm Yellows/Oranges

Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow, White

Street lights and artificial illumination; added via glazing to avoid hue shifts (Source 3)

Reds/Purples

Red Ochre, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine

Shadows and complementary contrasts; added via scumbling/glazing (Source 1)

Raw Umber

Raw Umber, Turpentine

Initial washes and setting the palette (Source 2)

composition

Korovin’s cityscapes, such as 'Paris at Night' and 'Le Boulevard Italien,' often focus on the atmospheric mood of the urban environment rather than precise architectural detail (Source 7). His stage design work emphasized 'mood decor' conveying general emotions (Source 7), suggesting this painting likely uses light and color to evoke the feeling of an evening in Montmartre rather than a documentary record. The composition likely balances the artificial light of the city with the natural twilight, a common theme in his Parisian works (Source 7).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the composition in charcoal, focusing on the placement of buildings and light sources. Use a hand-glass to check proportions and correct errors immediately.
Tip — Do not put down paint with obvious errors in construction; charcoal is easy to correct (Source 2).
Charcoal drawing

underpainting

step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Establish the light and shadow structure, mentally excluding red and yellow tones.
Tip — Ensure this layer is completely dry before proceeding (Source 1).
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Begin glazing and scumbling with oil. Apply yellow and red tones transparently over the dry grisaille, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; scumbling is semi-opaque. Use glazing for luminous lights (Source 1).
Glazing

refining

step 04
Adjust colors using complementary mixing to avoid hue shifts. If darkening a yellow, add its complement (purple) rather than black to prevent it from shifting greenish (Source 3).
Tip — Adding black to yellows/oranges can cause undesirable hue shifts toward green/blue (Source 3).
Complementary mixing

finishing

step 05
Refine the atmospheric effects. Use scumbling over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms, enhancing the evening mood.
Tip — Scumbling over dark grounds tends to coldness, useful for evening shadows (Source 1).
Scumbling

varnishing

step 06
Once the oil layers are dry, apply a final varnish if desired, though the source suggests mixing varnish with oil for glazing during the painting process.
Tip — Ensure all layers are dry to prevent cracking.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Korovin’s Impressionist style benefits from the old master technique of glazing transparent colors over a monochrome underpainting. This allows for luminous effects without muddying the colors, as seen in the source’s recommendation to glaze yellow and red tones over a dry grisaille (Source 1).

Complementary Color Mixing

To maintain hue integrity while darkening or lightening colors, use complementary colors rather than black or white alone. This prevents unwanted hue shifts, crucial for capturing the subtle tones of an evening cityscape (Source 3).

Simultaneous Contrast

Be aware that adjacent colors affect each other’s appearance. The eye perceives colors differently based on their surroundings, so adjust tones to account for this optical effect, especially in the interplay of street lights and shadows (Source 4).

common pitfalls

→Adding black to yellow or orange pigments, which causes them to shift toward green or blue, ruining the warmth of the evening lights (Source 3).
→Applying paint before the charcoal drawing is corrected, leading to 'fatal' errors in lucidity and construction (Source 2).
→Ignoring the drying time of the grisaille underpainting, which can cause the glazes to mix muddy rather than layer transparently (Source 1).
→Failing to account for simultaneous contrast, resulting in colors that appear inaccurate due to the influence of adjacent tones (Source 4).

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 brushwork style for 'Montmartre in the evening' is not detailed in the sources; Korovin’s general 'etude style' is mentioned but not specific to this 1930 work.
·Exact pigment palette for this specific painting is not listed; the guide infers from general Impressionist and Korovin practices.
·The specific lighting conditions and time of day for 'Montmartre in the evening' are not described in the sources, requiring the artist to interpret 'evening' based on general knowledge of Korovin’s Parisian works.

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 and glazing techniques
- PAINTING FROM LIFE — applied to Underdrawing and correction methods
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Understanding simultaneous contrast in color application

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 Color mixing and hue shift prevention
Wikipedia bio — Konstantín Korovin↗
- part 1 — applied to Biographical context and Impressionist influence
- part 2 — applied to Style description (etude, shades of grey)
- part 3 — applied to Parisian themes and mood decor approach

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

A Montmartre street converges toward the distance, lined with buildings that glow with warm interior and street light on the left side, while the right recedes into deep shadow and cool tones. The eye enters through the warmly lit façade on the left, follows the street's recession, and is drawn to the cooler, darker buildings and tree foliage that frame the right side and background. Small human figures punctuate the street, rendered as loose gestural marks. The overall impression is evening atmosphere—artificial light against falling darkness—conveyed through warm-against-cool color contrast rather than sharp definition.

value structure

The painting divides into two clear value zones: a warmer, lighter left side (lit buildings and street) and a cooler, darker right side (shadowed buildings and trees reaching into the upper right). The darkest darks cluster in the shadowed buildings, tree silhouettes, and upper atmosphere; the lightest lights are the window and street illumination on the left. Mid-tones dominate the street and building walls, with subtle shifts from warm ochre-brown in light to darker, cooler brown-purple in shadow. Squint to see the strong left-to-right gradient from light to dark.

observed palette and mixes

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Ultramarine blue + Burnt Umber + Titanium white (warm mid-tone)
Lit street surface and warm building facades on the left
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Burnt Umber + Yellow Ochre + touches of Cadmium Red
Mid-tones of unlit building walls and street shadows
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Burnt Umber + Ultramarine blue (warmed)
Darker building areas and interior shadows
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Burnt Umber + Ultramarine blue (cooled)
Deep shadow on right side and tree foliage
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Ultramarine blue + Burnt Umber + Cadmium Red (purple-black)
Shadowed building silhouettes and darkest recesses
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Ultramarine blue + Burnt Umber + trace Cadmium Red
The night sky above and deepest shadows in upper corners

edges and brushwork

Brushwork is consistently loose and impressionistic—individual strokes remain visible, especially in the street and lit building areas where broken color creates vibrancy. Edges are soft where light transitions to shadow, and harder where architectural forms catch light. The technique deliberately avoids blending; adjacent colors (warm against cool, light against dark) sit side by side. Figures and distant trees are suggested with rapid gestural marks rather than defined shapes.

a working sequence

01
Tonal Foundation
Block in the entire composition with a warm, dark underpainting (burnt umber + ultramarine) to establish the basic value structure. Focus on the division between the lit left side and shadowed right side. Keep it loose—this guides all subsequent layers without constraining them.
02
Street and Building Geometry
Paint the street's recession from foreground to background, establishing how it narrows with distance. Block in the major building masses on left and right, keeping their boundaries soft. The left building should be noticeably warmer and lighter; the right side and background significantly cooler and darker.
03
Warm Lit Areas
Develop the glowing left side with warm mixes: yellow ochre + titanium white for the brightest areas, burnt umber + cadmium red for medium-warm tones. Build the illusion of window light and street illumination through broken strokes of warm color. Don't blend—let individual brushmarks show.
04
Cool Shadows and Atmosphere
Establish the shadowed areas with cooler, darker mixes: ultramarine + burnt umber (slightly purple), ultramarine + cadmium red (purple-black for the deepest shadows). Paint the right building, the receding background, and the upper atmosphere. The tree foliage should read as dark silhouette against the lighter sky.
05
Architectural Detail and Contrast
Indicate window divisions and building edges on the left façade with darker accents, creating a readable structure. Keep details minimal—suggest rather than describe. Add darker accents to define the street's edge and foreground building corners.
06
Figures and Street Activity
Place small human figures throughout the street using quick, dark gestural strokes. They should read as silhouettes or quick suggestions, not detailed forms. Cluster a few figures in the lit foreground and scatter others into the cooler background, reinforcing depth.
07
Color Refinement and Transitions
Work across the whole composition, strengthening warm-cool contrast and refining edges. Layer additional warm touches into the lit areas and additional cool touches into the shadows. Allow colors to sit adjacent (broken color) rather than blending smooth transitions—this maintains the impressionistic energy.
08
Atmospheric Depth and Final Touches
Soften the background and distant buildings further, letting them fade into cooler, darker tones. Add any final warm highlights to the street and lit areas. Step back and check that the left-to-right warm-to-cool gradient reads clearly and that the street feels deep and atmospheric.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Making shadow areas uniformly dark—they contain subtle color variation with warm and cool passages; mix purple-blacks, cool browns, and even touches of reflected warmth
Overworking the figures—they're mere gestural marks, not portrait studies; a few dark strokes per figure is enough
Blending the colors too smoothly—the impressionistic power lies in broken color where adjacent strokes remain distinct; resist the urge to smooth transitions
Losing the warm-cool contrast—the painting lives in this dialogue; if shadows get too warm or lights too cool, the evening mood dissolves
Making architectural detail too crisp and literal—the left building needs enough structure to read as a façade, but not so much that it looks photographic

measured difficulty