Река

1875–1886

Friendship with Serov and Levitan

During their student years at the Moscow School the Korovin brothers become friends with fellow students Valentin Serov and Isaac Levitan; Konstantin keeps these friendships throughout his life.

1881–1923 · Virkested

Moscow

1884–1885

Begins working for Mamontov’s opera

From 1884 Korovin makes costumes and sets for Savva Mamontov’s opera: in 1885, under Polenov’s guidance, he paints the sets for Aida, and on his own designs Bizet’s Carmen and Delibes’s Lakmé.

1885

Travel: Spain

1885

The shock of Paris and the Impressionists

On a trip to Paris and Spain Korovin gets to know the painting of the Impressionists; he later wrote that Paris was a shock for him — in it he found everything he had been scolded for back home in Moscow.

c. 1885

Polenov introduces him to Mamontov’s Abramtsevo Circle

Vasily Polenov introduces Korovin to Savva Mamontov’s Abramtsevo Circle: Viktor and Apollinary Vasnetsov, Ilya Repin, Mark Antokolsky and others. The circle’s love of stylised Russian themes is reflected in Korovin’s picture A Northern Idyll.