Friday 14 January 2022

Léon Bakst - part 6

A much underestimated figure in Russian art, Leon Bakst is best known for the decorative art which he created for Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes. 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. This mixture of modern art with traditional Russian folk art inspired dancers and audiences alike. He became artistic director for Diaghilev in 1909, and his stage designs rapidly brought him international fame. Among his finest creations were the designs for Tchaikovsky's ballet Sleeping Beauty (London, 1921). Bakst also excelled at graphic art, indeed his first real success came in 1898 after he co-founded the influential "World of Art" group, sponsored by Savva Mamontov (1841-1918), and took charge of the illustration of the group's "World of Art" periodical. His exceptional talent at drawing and sketching is exemplified by his pen and ink drawing of Isadora Duncan (1908, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford).

Although less well-known than many of his contemporaries, Bakst remains one of the most influential of Russian artists, and was chiefly responsible for the visual impact of the Ballets Russes. He revolutionised the design of theatrical scenery and costumes, and ranks among the most influential modern artists of the early 20th century.

For full biographical notes on Bakst see part 1, and for earlier works, see parts 1 - 5 also.

This is part 6 of 9 on the works of Léon Bakst:

1915 Costume design for Ménade

1916 Nude Study: Ida Rubinstein's Back
sanguine on paper 31.5 x 40 cm

1916 Study of a Kneeling Nude
sanguine on paper

1916 Portrait of James H. Hyde, Jr.
pencil on paper 34.3 cm diameter

1916 Ballet Russes programme

1916 The Yellow Sultana
charcoal, watercolour and gouache, heightened with gold, on two joined sheets of paper 46.5 x 68 cm


1914 La légende de Joseph (The Legend of Joseph)
by Richard Strauss:

1914 Costume design for La légende de Joseph

1914 Costume design for Potiphar's wife in La légende de Joseph
graphite, watercolour and gold on laid paper 48.3 x 33 cm
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

1914 Costume design for La légende de Joseph
pencil, watercolour and gold paint
Russian Museum, St Petersburg

1914-24 Costume design for La légende de Joseph
watercolour, with graphite, metallic paint and gouache, on ivory laid paper, laid down on white Japanese paper
32.2 x 24.1 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL

n.d. Costume design for Potiphar's Wife in
La légend de Joseph
gouache, gold and silver paint over pencil on paper

n.d. Costume Design for Potiphar's Wife in
La légend de Joseph
watercolour, gold paint and pencil on paper

n.d. Costume Design for Potiphar's Wife in
La légend de Joseph
watercolour, silver paint and pencil on paper

n.d. Costume design for La légende de Joseph
charcoal and gouache on paper

n.d. Costume designs for La légende de Joseph

Costume designed by Bakst for Mme. Marie Kousenetzoff as Potiphar's Wife at Drury Lane


1915-1922 Ballet Boutique Fantasque (The Magic Toyshop}
by Léonide Massine:

1915 Costume design for Girl in a Green Dress
in Ballet Boutique Fantasque
watercolour, gouache and graphite on ivory laid paper laid down on board 44.8 x 29.4 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL

1917 Costume design for Woman in a Black Coat, for Ballet Boutique Fantasque
pencil, watercolour and gouache on ivory laid paper laid down on board  44.9 x 29.5 cm

1917 Costume design for Young Woman in
Ballet Boutique Fantasque
pencil, watercolour and gouache on ivory laid paper laid down on board 44.8 x 29.4 cm

1918 Costume design for the Russian Doll in
Ballet Boutique Fantasque
pencil, watercolour and gouache on paper 48.5 x 32.5 cm


1916-1917 Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur 
(The Good-Humoured Ladies) by Leonide Massine:

1916 Costume design for Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur: Silvestra
pencil, watercolour and gouache, heightened with silver and gold, on paper 49 x 32.6 cm
McNay Art Museum, Providence, Rhode Island

1917 Costume design for Constanza in Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur
watercolour on paper

1917 Costume design for Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur
watercolour

1917 Costume design for Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur: Niccolo
pencil, watercolour and gouache, heightened with silver, on paper 49 x 33 cm

1917 Costume design for Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur
watercolour on paper 39.5 x 26.5 cm
V&A, London

1917 Souvenir Programme: Costume design for Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur

Costume for Mariuccia in Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur
 V&A, London

Set design for Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur


1916-1919 Aladin, ou La Lampe Merveilleuse
(Aladdin, or The Marvellous Lamp):

1916 Costume design for Aladin, ou la Lampe Merveilleuse
pencil, ink and watercolour, heightened with gold, on paper 30.8 x 15.4 cm

c1919 Costume design for Indian with a Nosegay in Aladin, ou la Lampe Merveilleuse
watercolour, gouache and metallic paint on paper, mounted on board 48.9 x 33 cm
McNay Art Museum, Providence, Rhode Island

n.d. Costume design for Aladin, ou la Lampe Merveilleuse: Barbison
pencil, ink and watercolour, heightened with gold, on paper laid down on card 24.5 x 17.6 cm

n.d. Costume design for Aladin, ou La Lampe Merveilleuse

Set design for Aladin, ou La Lampe Merveilleuse
pencil and gouache 19.3 x 26.4 cm


1916-1923 La Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty)
aka The Sleeping Princess by Charles Perrault:

1916 Costume design for a Fairy in La Belle au Bois Dormant
 gouache, watercolour, silver paint and pencil on paper laid down on cardboard

1916 Costume design for Prince Espagnol in La Belle au Bois Dormant
gouache, watercolour, gold paint and pencil on paper mounted on cardboard

1920 Costume design for the Lilac Fairy in La Belle au Bois Dormant
pencil and watercolour heightened with gold on paper
29 x 17 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant: Baronne
pencil and watercolour, heightened with white, silver and gold, on paper 29.3 x 22.3 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant: Le Loup
pencil and watercolour, heightened with silver, on paper
49 x 33 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant: Le Page de la Fée Lilas
pencil and watercolour, heightened with white and silver, on paper 29.6 x 22.3 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant: Le Prince Charmant à la Cour
pencil and watercolour, heightened with white, silver and gold, on paper 29 x 19 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant: Mazurka dancer in pink
pencil and watercolour, heightened with silver, on paper
28 x 19.9 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant: Mazurka dancer
pencil and watercolour, heightened with white, gold and silver, on paper 33.2 x 26 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant: The Marchioness (Hunting)
pencil, watercolour and gouache, heightened with gold, on paper 29.5 x 23 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant
watercolour and pencil on paper 28.2 x 21.7 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant: The Chinese Mandarin
pencil, watercolour and gouache, heightened with gold, on paper 40.5 x 26 cm

1921 Costume design for La Belle au Bois Dormant

1921 Costume design for Le Prince Charmant à la Cour in La Belle au Bois Dormant
pencil, watercolour, body-colour and gold paint on paper laid down on card 29.2 x 17.8 cm

1922 Costume design for La belle au bois dormant
colour lithograph

1922 Costume design for La belle au bois dormant

n.d. Costume design for La belle au bois dormant: Le Page de la fée Canari
pencil, ink and watercolour, heightened with gold, on paper laid down on board 67.5 x 48.7 cm


La belle au bois dormant (The Sleeping Beauty) continues in part 6 of this series on Léon Bakst.