Léon Bakst (Hrodna, Belarus, 1866 - 1924, Paris, France)
Costume Design for Ida Rubenstein as Saint-Sebastien, 1911
Watercolor and shell silver over graphite on laid paper, 27.9 x 20.6 cm (11 x 8 1/8 in.)
This pencil and watercolor sketch depicts a model wearing a theatrical costume. The model stands facing forward, slightly turned to our right. Their head is turned to our right and seen in profile. Their light-skinned face is drawn in pencil with a patch of blush on the right cheek and pink lips, and dark curly hair falling down over the back of the neck. The model is wearing a blue hat with greenish trim, a red fitted top with white adornment on the right sleeve, bright green tights, and a billowing blue and green cape that falls from the neck almost to the ankle, covering the left side of the body. Bluish-green booties with sharp points at the toe complete the outfit. The model stands with their right hand resting on a patterned belt at the hip.
Short Gallery
Commentary
Signed lower right: Bakst / 1911; inscribed at top: St. Sébastien II acte / Mme Ida Rubinstein
Born Lev Rosenberg to a middle-class Jewish family in Belarus, Léon Bakst studied art in St. Petersburg and Paris. His close collaboration with the dancer and choreographer Serge Diaghilev resulted in striking costumes and scenery for the Ballets Russes. Drawing on folk art, Middle Eastern, and Asian motifs, Bakst’s sensuous designs caused a sensation throughout Europe.
In 1911, the celebrated dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein (1885–1960) produced a ballet in Paris called Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien. With a book by Gabriele D’Annunzio, music by Claude Debussy, and choreography by Michel Fokine, the ballet was one of great triumphs of the period. The top drawing is a costume study for Rubinstein, who reportedly stunned Paris audiences with her poignant acting. The drawing below is a costume design for the equally celebrated ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931) in the production of Oriental Fanstasy (also called Ballet Hindu), which opened in London in October 1913, and was performed later that same month in Boston.
Isabella Stewart Gardner’s passion for music and dance nearly equalled her interest in the visual arts. The avant-garde dancer Ruth St. Denis performed at Fenway Court in 1906, and these drawings present further evidence of Mrs. Gardner’s interest in performance. Both drawings were purchased in 1914 at a touring exhibition of Bakst’s drawings held at the Boston Art Club.
Source: Alan Chong, "Ida Rubinstein as Saint Sebastian, Anna Pavlova in the Ballet 'Oriental Fantasy,'" in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 122.
Born Lev Rosenberg to a middle-class Jewish family in Belarus, Léon Bakst studied art in St. Petersburg and Paris. His close collaboration with the dancer and choreographer Serge Diaghilev resulted in striking costumes and scenery for the Ballets Russes. Drawing on folk art, Middle Eastern, and Asian motifs, Bakst’s sensuous designs caused a sensation throughout Europe.
In 1911, the celebrated dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein (1885–1960) produced a ballet in Paris called Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien. With a book by Gabriele D’Annunzio, music by Claude Debussy, and choreography by Michel Fokine, the ballet was one of great triumphs of the period. The top drawing is a costume study for Rubinstein, who reportedly stunned Paris audiences with her poignant acting. The drawing below is a costume design for the equally celebrated ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931) in the production of Oriental Fanstasy (also called Ballet Hindu), which opened in London in October 1913, and was performed later that same month in Boston.
Isabella Stewart Gardner’s passion for music and dance nearly equalled her interest in the visual arts. The avant-garde dancer Ruth St. Denis performed at Fenway Court in 1906, and these drawings present further evidence of Mrs. Gardner’s interest in performance. Both drawings were purchased in 1914 at a touring exhibition of Bakst’s drawings held at the Boston Art Club.
Source: Alan Chong, "Ida Rubinstein as Saint Sebastian, Anna Pavlova in the Ballet 'Oriental Fantasy,'" in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 122.