Leon Bakst

Leon Bakst (1866-1924) was a Russian artist who revolutionized theatrical design both in scenery and in costume. He is well known for his costume and set designs for the Ballet Russes, which included the famous dancer Anna Pavlova. This was the first work of his that i saw and since then i have been a big fan. I'm not going to try and describe his work in my own words as that would be rubbish - i've stolen a description from here:  

Bakst achieved international fame with his sets and costumes, in which he combined bold designs and sumptuous colours with minutely refined details to convey an atmosphere of picturesque, exotic Orientalism.   

So yeah...Enjoy! If i were to add anything of my own to that description i would probably comment on Russian art in general - it always seems to me wonderfully elaborate but in a really off-beat way. It seems to me to be somewhat overlooked - if anyone thinks of Chinese art/culture, you get a definate idea in your head. It's the same with Spanish, African, Japenese, Indian etc...but i'm sure that there'd be alot of people without much of a clue about Russian art - yet when you look into it, it's so rich. 

Self Portrait - 1893

Some examples of his costume designs. Apparently his designs for a London production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty in 1921 are regarded as his greatest work, but they weren't my favourite so i haven't shown them:

Costume Design for Anna Pavlova

Narcisse Bacchante (I assume this is a costume design but as the title doesn't specify i'm not sure)

Design for the costume of a Pilgrim

 Here's some examples of his work outside costume and set design:

 

Elysium

The Slave Girl

 A couple of his gorgeous set designs:

Set design for ballet 'Schékhérazade'

Set design for ballet 'Schékhérazade' - Schékhérazade bedroom

Lots of love

Lucy

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