Russia showcases flamboyant ballets russes designer leon bakst. The designs and colours used in ballets russes productions forged a new aesthetic in the 20th century. The art of alexandre benois and leon bakst milan, 1998. Charles spencer, leon bakst and the ballets russes london, 1995. When published in 1973, charles spencers biography of bakst, the greatest designer of the ballets russes, was the first fulllength study of the. Leon bakst was the most brilliant and daring costume designer of his time, his influence so radical and pervasive that the first two decades of the twentieth century have been called the bakst era. He showed early talent for art and was educated along those lines. Leon bakst and the ballets russes charles spencer on. Ballet russes oriental 19 costume design leon bakst. Find amazing costume design posters to adorn your walls today at zazzle.
Diaghilevs presentation of his homeland in particular created a notable strand of russian style. His exotic and sumptuous designs, in conjunction with diaghilevs radical and provocative choreography, helped revitalize ballet and lay the framework for modern interpretive dance. See more ideas about russian ballet, leon and costume design. Diaghilevs ballets russes is the most authoritative history of the company ever written and the first to examine it as a totalityits art, enterprise, and audience. In 1909 diaghilev bought a ballet company later named ballets russes and on 19 may, after weeks of publicity, opened his first saison russe season of russian ballet in paris. Leon bakst 18661924 was a russian portraitist and designer who spent much of his career in paris. A russian painter from st petersburg, bakst worked on costumes and set design for the ballets russes from its opening season in paris in 1909 until his death in 1924. When art danced with music exhibit, currently on display at the national gallery of art, captures the wonder of an influential team of artists that changed the course of fashion and the performing arts in the early part of the 20th century. It also contains colour reproductions of his paintings and book illustrations. The painter, stage designer, and theoretician leon bakst 18661924 was known for having been the main collaborator of the ballets russes and the paris opera.
His dramatic, innovative designs emphasised colour, violence and sensuality, energising the. This is a 12 months calendar that can be customized to start and end with any month you choice at. Set and costume designs, book illustrations, paintings and graphic works new york, 1987. Bakst reimagined the richness of russian folklore and 18thcentury france. Music by anton arensky, with additional music by aleksandr glazunov, mikhail glinka, modest mussorgsky, nikolai rimskykorsakov, sergei taneyev, nikolai tcherepnin. A much underestimated figure in russian art, leon bakst is best known for the decorative art which he created for sergei diaghilev and the ballets russes. Sheherazade by fokine irma nioradze vito mazzeo ballet russes festival teatro dellopera di. Her grandfather leonide massine was a choreographer for the renowned ballet company in the early 1900s and collaborated with incredible creative minds including picasso, composer igor stravinsky and costume designer leon bakst. Ballets russes costumes by bakst calendar 2016 costumes for the ballets russes by leon bakst.
Knowledge of the companys revolutionary ballets filtered through to theatre, fashion and daily life, including interior design. May 10, 2010 leon bakst les ballets russes sheherazade. Jan 2, 2015 ballet russes oriental 19 costume design leon bakst. In 1915, she began to design ballet costumes and sets in geneva. The exotic stage and costume designs of russianborn designer leon bakst, made famous at the ballets russes, are on display in a major retrospective in moscow which examines his shock impact on. A gifted painter, bakst is best remembered for the sets and costumes he designed for diaghilevs ballet russes in the early decades of the 20th century. Diaghilev and the lasting style of the ballets russes. Leon bakst first edition leon bakst bauman rare books. Ballet russes oriental 19 costume design leon bakst the russian. He was among the first to incorporate the influence of the east into 20thcentury high design.
The ballets russes is a continuous source of inspiration for stephanie. Bakst started his career as a book illustrator and painter, achieving only. After graduating secondary school, he traveled to st. In order to help pay the bills, he also taught art to the children of grand duke vladimir. Bakst designed more of diaghilevs ballets russes productions than any other artist associated with the company, while also working as a freelance dress and costume designer for select clients. Leon bakst was an extraordinary costume and scene designer who was closely associated with artists like sergei diaghilev and alexandre benois.
Stravinsky et les ballet russes stravinsky and the ballets russes by igor stravinsky. After its initial paris season, the company had no formal ties there. Bakst designed for several productions in london and paris and returned to the ballets russes to design the sleeping princess in 1921. Associate curator femke speelberg highlights a selection of costume and set designs that russian artist leon bakst created for the ballets. His designs for the ballets russes, especially during its heyday 190914, were opulent, innovative, and extraordinary, and his influence on fashion and interior design was widespread.
This costume design by leon bakst from 19 was republished in a 2006 book on. Bakst was an accomplished painter, as well as designer. Her designs for the ballet liturgy were started in 1915. Leon bakst produced lavish sets and costumes for the ballet stage. His fame lay in the sets and costumes he designed for serge diaghilevs 1872. The company never performed in russia, where the revolution disrupted society. Showcases the costumes, set designs, and paintings of leon bakst, the designer for the ballets russes.
Illustrations of some of leon baksts designs for the ballets russes. Leon bakst was born in belorusse in 1866 to a middleclass jewish family. Costume design for diaghilevs russian ballet narcisse boeotians, leon bakst, 1911 leon bakst solidfaced canvas print wall art print entitled operatic costume designs, none one of the costumes leon bakst painted. Diaghilev and the lasting style of the ballets russes telegraph. The liturgy was commissioned by diaghilev with goncharova, leonide massine and igor stravinsky. He was a member of sergei diaghilevs creative circle that birthed the ballets russes, for which he designed exotic, richlydetailed sets and costumes. She moved to paris in 1921 where she designed a number of stage sets for diaghilevs ballets russes. Combining social and cultural history with illuminating discussions of dance, drama, music, art, economics, and public reception, lynn garafola paints an extraordinary portrait of. His dramatic, innovative designs emphasised colour, violence and sensuality, energising the ballet s exotic and fantastical subject matter and characters. Costume design for a temple servant reproduced in the book the decorative.
Fired by his love of colour, his brightly painted sets and richly coloured costumes combined extravagant designs with refined details to convey a heady atmosphere of slavonic orientalism. A creator of stage designs and costumes for a number of masterpieces sheherazade, the spirit of the rose, the afternoon of a faun, and daphnis and chloe and a tireless worker, bakst built a work that revolutionised not only. Illustrations of leon bakst s stage sets and costumes for the ballet russes accompany synopses of the plays by cocteau for which they were designed. Leon bakst was the most brilliant and daring costume designer of his time, his. This book reflects his extraordinary collaborative work with sergei diaghilev and the ballets russes as well as the dancers ida rubinstein and vaslav nijinsky. By leon bakst, 1 9 1 costume design for the firebird. The ballets russes productions had been conceived in the context of powerful and emotional artistic collaboration, and their costumes command attention as persuasive works of art in their own right, long after they ceased to be worn on stage. As part of the ballets russes very first programme in paris, bakst designed orientalstyle decor and costumes for michel fokines egyptian themed ballet cleopatre 1909. This is a 12 months calendar that can be customized to start and end with any month you choice at any point in the year. Petersburg academy of arts as an unenrolled student, working as a book illustrator to support himself.
A gifted painter, bakst is best remembered for the sets and costumes he designed for diaghilevs ballets russes in the early decades of the 20th century. An illustrated book about bakst,18661924 a leading russian artist whose designs for stage sets and costumes are wellknown for their high element of fantasy, beauty and historical accuracy. Leon bakst, jewish russian artist who revolutionized theatrical design both in scenery and in costume. Leon bakst b grodno, russialithuania border now belarus 10 may 1866 d. When art danced with music exhibit, currently on display at the national gallery of art, captures the wonder of an influential team of artists that changed the course of fashion and the performing arts in the early part of the 20th century serge diaghilev, russian art patron and business. Fire by leon bakst from firebird ballet post cards you will get best price offer lowest prices or diccount couponehow toonline secure check out quick and easy. Sep 19, 2010 a russian painter from st petersburg, bakst worked on costumes and set design for the ballets russes from its opening season in paris in 1909 until his death in 1924. The ballets triumph was also due to the fabulous set and costume designs of leon bakst. His first work was as a copyist and illustrator for teaching materials and then for popular magazines. Fire by leon bakst from firebird ballet post cards you will get best price offer lowest prices or. Leon bakst was a russian painter and costume designer. See more ideas about ballet costumes, ballet and russian ballet. Leon bakst was a russian painter, scenic designer and costume designer.
Leon baksts costume design for narcisse, leon baksts drawing boards for the ballet russes art and illustration art nouveau narcisse guache theatre costumes russian art russian ballet dance art great artists. The decorative art of leon bakst by arsene alexandre book. Jun 10, 2016 the exotic stage and costume designs of russianborn designer leon bakst, made famous at the ballets russes, are on display in a major retrospective in moscow which examines his shock impact on. Sergei diaghilevs ballet russes production of the sleeping beauty, for which leon bakst designed the costumes and set, was first staged in london in 1921 at the alhambra theatre, as. May 06, 2020 leon bakst, jewish russian artist who revolutionized theatrical design both in scenery and in costume. Ballets russes the reader wiki, reader view of wikipedia. Much of our visual appreciation of the ballets russes derives even now from these magazines, especially their bakst designs for oriental costumes.
Originally conceived by impresario sergei diaghilev, the ballets russes is. Metallic paint, gouache, watercolor and pencil on paper on board. Illustrations of leon baksts stage sets and costumes for the ballet russes accompany synopses of the plays by cocteau for which they were designed. Born in russia in 1866, leon bakst belonged to a young generation of. Petersburg, beautifully illustrated throughout on glossy.