Pablo Picasso's Costume Design for the Miller in Ballets Russes' Le Tricorne (1919).
Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), a ballet in one act, premiered at the Alhambra Theatre in London on July 22, 1919. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes produced the ballet, Pablo Picasso designed the costumes and the scenery, Manuel de Falla composed the music, and Leonide Massine created the choreography.
“This ballet is a love story set in the eighteenth century in a small Spanish village, where a miller and his wife, although very much in love, flirt with passers-by in order to test each other’s affection. One of these passers-by is the Corregidor, governor of the province, who is travelling with his entourage. Attracted by the miller’s wife, he begins to court her. Although she initially leads him on, once her husband returns she makes fun of him as being old and ridiculous. The angry Corregidor leaves, promising revenge on the couple for this humiliation. He returns with his officers, who arrest the miller. After they have left, the Corregidor attempts to grab the miller’s wife, who runs away. Although he chases after her she eludes him, trips him into a stream and runs off, frightened. Drenched, the Corregidor enters the mill, undresses and hangs his clothes out to dry before retiring to the miller’s bed for a nap. The miller returns and, seeing the Corregidor’s clothes, steals them, replacing them with his own and a note. The Corregidor is forced to leave in the miller’s clothes to the taunts of the villagers.
“Pedro Antonio de Alarcón y Ariza’s (1833–1891) Andalusian story, El sombrero de tres picos (The three-cornered hat 1874), inspired Diaghilev and Massine’s 1919 Ballets Russes production of this classic tale. Having immersed themselves in Spanish dance and music during their sojourn in Spain, and with their successful collaboration with Pablo Picasso, the production was a critical and enduring success. Massine’s revival in 1934, using the sets and costumes from Diaghilev’s 1919 production, placed the ballet in the heightened international consciousness of Spain at the time of its bitter civil war…” [The synopsis is by the National Gallery of Australia]
The distinctively Spanish flavor of the ballet is clear in the following video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBrFuH-nXIY
Youtube also has a wonderful dance from the ballet performed by Patrick Dupond of the Paris Opera (if you can tolerate the poor audio quality):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cpAMrFfEF4
Pablo Picasso's Costume Design for the Miller in Ballets Russes' Le Tricorne (1919).
Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), a ballet in one act, premiered at the Alhambra Theatre in London on July 22, 1919. Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes produced the ballet, Pablo Picasso designed the costumes and the scenery, Manuel de Falla composed the music, and Leonide Massine created the choreography.
“This ballet is a love story set in the eighteenth century in a small Spanish village, where a miller and his wife, although very much in love, flirt with passers-by in order to test each other’s affection. One of these passers-by is the Corregidor, governor of the province, who is travelling with his entourage. Attracted by the miller’s wife, he begins to court her. Although she initially leads him on, once her husband returns she makes fun of him as being old and ridiculous. The angry Corregidor leaves, promising revenge on the couple for this humiliation. He returns with his officers, who arrest the miller. After they have left, the Corregidor attempts to grab the miller’s wife, who runs away. Although he chases after her she eludes him, trips him into a stream and runs off, frightened. Drenched, the Corregidor enters the mill, undresses and hangs his clothes out to dry before retiring to the miller’s bed for a nap. The miller returns and, seeing the Corregidor’s clothes, steals them, replacing them with his own and a note. The Corregidor is forced to leave in the miller’s clothes to the taunts of the villagers.
“Pedro Antonio de Alarcón y Ariza’s (1833–1891) Andalusian story, El sombrero de tres picos (The three-cornered hat 1874), inspired Diaghilev and Massine’s 1919 Ballets Russes production of this classic tale. Having immersed themselves in Spanish dance and music during their sojourn in Spain, and with their successful collaboration with Pablo Picasso, the production was a critical and enduring success. Massine’s revival in 1934, using the sets and costumes from Diaghilev’s 1919 production, placed the ballet in the heightened international consciousness of Spain at the time of its bitter civil war…” [The synopsis is by the National Gallery of Australia]
The distinctively Spanish flavor of the ballet is clear in the following video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBrFuH-nXIY
Youtube also has a wonderful dance from the ballet performed by Patrick Dupond of the Paris Opera (if you can tolerate the poor audio quality):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cpAMrFfEF4