Study for a Costume

Leon Bakst was a painter and scenic designer. He received his artistic instruction at the Imperial Academy of Saint Petersburg and Paris. In 1898, he participated with the impresario Serge Diaghilev in founding a group called The World of Art. In 1900, he began designing theatrical sets and costumes. In 1906, Bakst went to Paris with Diaghilev where he exhibited his work at the First Exhibition of Russian Art at Salon d'Automme, organized by the latter. In 1912, Bakst designed the sets and costumes for the ballet Thamar, produced by Diaghilev, and first performed on May 20th of that year at the Théâtre du Chatelet, Paris. The plot was based on a text by Russia's premier Romantic poet Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (1814-41); the choreography was created by Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokine (1880-1942); the music was written by composer Alexeyevich Balakirev (1837-1910) for whom Bakst executed a pencil portrait, circa 1910. The style of Bakst's costume for the servant is evocative of Art Nouveau or Jugendstil as are his designs for the sets.