Léon Bakst
1866-1924
Deer and Flamingo
20th century
12 5/8 x 9 7/16 inches (320 x 240mm)
Watercolor and blue gouache with graphite on paper.
2009.18
The Joseph F. McCrindle Collection.
Notes
Stamped on verso at lower right, in blue ink, "Bakst."
In addition to being a painter and draftsman of renown in St. Petersburg and Paris, Léon Bakst was also a costume and stage designer for much of his career. His work for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, especially from 1909 to 1914, has been referrred to as a period in which Bakst dominated the Ballets Russes (Michelle Potter, "Designed for Dance: The Costumes of Léon Bakst and the Art of Isadora Duncan," Dance Chronicle vol. 13, no. 2 (1990), p. 154). This drawing predominantly executed in flat, decorative planes of color features a brightly rendered deer and flamingo; their toes are "en pointe" as if dancing to accompaniment. Bakst has included a border in graphite, which vaguely resembles the structure of a stage.
In addition to being a painter and draftsman of renown in St. Petersburg and Paris, Léon Bakst was also a costume and stage designer for much of his career. His work for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, especially from 1909 to 1914, has been referrred to as a period in which Bakst dominated the Ballets Russes (Michelle Potter, "Designed for Dance: The Costumes of Léon Bakst and the Art of Isadora Duncan," Dance Chronicle vol. 13, no. 2 (1990), p. 154). This drawing predominantly executed in flat, decorative planes of color features a brightly rendered deer and flamingo; their toes are "en pointe" as if dancing to accompaniment. Bakst has included a border in graphite, which vaguely resembles the structure of a stage.
Inscriptions/Markings
Inscribed on verso, at bottom left in blue ink, "14-IV-67 / Je soussigne certifie que cette ouevre / est entièrement de la main de mon oncle / Léon Bakst. B. Tsipkervitch [?]"
Artist
Classification
Century Drawings
Catalog link
Department