Lisa

I am so inspired by the emotional and rhythmic paintings of the 19th century designer, Leon Blakst. 

Leon Blakst was born in 1866 in Russia and was part of a young generation of artists that pushed the boundaries of traditional stage realism in Eurpoe. He was known for his color, exoticism and barbarism displayed in his costume and scenery design. To ensure that each of his designs were executed successfully, he created a whole range of different drawings, each made to communicate important information about the costume garments' colors, measurements, and materials.

Here are a few of my favorite character costume drawings he made using watercolor, pen and pencil in the early 1900's:

Costume Design for Natasha Trouhanova as the Peri in “La Peri” (1911)

Costume design for "Carnaval" (1910)

Costume design for Tamara Karsavina as the Fiancée in Le Dieu Bleu (1911)  

The Firebird (1910) 

Costume design for Le Dieu Bleu, 1912

Costume design for a dancer with tambourine, in “Cléopâtre” (1910)

The Tsarevna, costume design for the Ballets Russes production of Stravinsky's The Firebird, 1910

Costume Study for Nijinsky in his Role in La Péri, 1922

You can feel the theatrical portrayal of dance through his paintings. Their postures, the color, and the expressions of each dancer all work together to elicit rich emotion and movement. 

Which one is your favorite dancer?

To see more details about the Leon Bakst images in today's post, check out my Pinterest Picks Board.