At the German Quarter

Created the same year in which Benois produced Petrushka, his most successful design for ballet, this painting illustrates his bold use of color to brighten the canvas and create movement. The scene is looking down from the rooftops in the German Quarter, and illustrates a bustling city scene. The focus of the painting is of a large building, perhaps a royal dance hall, to which multiple carriages are pulling up, letting out passengers who are flocking into the building. The figures and buildings themselves are not particularly detailed, but this does more for the movement and flow of the painting, which beautifully depicts a bright a busy area of town.