Konstantin Korovin painted this portrait in 1914. The artist is considered the first Russian impressionist. He depicted his love Nadezhda Komarovskaya – a drama actress and teacher. In 1929, she was awarded the title of Merited Artist of the Soviet Union.

Nadezhda Komarovskaya was born in 1885 in Poland. She dreamed about the stage since early childhood. The future actress graduated with honors from the female gymnasium in her native Polish town of Kielce. After moving to Moscow, she was admitted to the Higher Female Courses and the Moscow Art Theater School. Her teachers were directors Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.

In 1914, Konstantin Korovin and Nadezhda Komarovskaya were on vacation in the Crimea. The actress had weak lungs and doctors recommended her to spend more time by the sea. The lovers were staying in the town of Balaklava where the artists painted the portrait of Nadezhda Komarovskaya.

In the painting, the actress is wearing an exquisite beige dress according to the fashion of the early 20th century. A black fur jacket covers her shoulders. Next to her is a glass with crimson carnations that stand out in a bright spot against the background of a night landscape. The painter chose cream, ochre-green, bluish-white shades that create a cosy and warm atmosphere. The portrait is painted with split strokes of various shapes that make the image a little blurred, and all the objects in the portrait seem flowing and soft.

Konstantin Korovin was born in 1861 in a family of Moscow merchants. His parents loved painting and since his childhood, the future artist watched new worlds being born on paper from paints. In 1875, Konstantin Korovin entered the Moscow School of Arts, Sculpture and Architecture. His teacher was the famous landscape painter Alexei Savrasov. 

In 1892, Konstantin Korovin went to Paris where he was captivated by the works of French painters. That trip influenced the whole of his artistic career and established the painter as the first Russian impressionist.