Leon Bakst's Costume Design for a Pilgrim in the "Blue God" (1912)
A leading feature in the appearance of Ballets Russes are the gorgeous color combinations of Leon Bakst, whose work was the sensation of art galleries and a dominant influence in the fashion world. He was the most distinguished artist in line and color that the theater had at the time. The beauty of Diaghilev's company springs from the costumes and scenery that Bakst designed for it. "Color should afford a joy for the eye." - Bakst
Le Dieu Bleu [The Blue God] premiered in Paris on May 13, 1912. Leon Bakst did the set and costume designs, Fokine did the choreography and the ballet was set to the music of Reynaldo Hahn. "Set in mythical India, the ballet opens at a shrine of the Blue God, which is surrounded by rocks and cliffs with a lotus pond in the centre. Worshippers and a young neophyte, soon to become a priest, gather and wait for the ordination ceremony to commence. After the high priest arrives the ceremony begins but is interrupted by the novice's lover, attempting to rescue him from priesthood. She is captured and imprisoned in the shrine, where she is threatened by its resident monsters. While trying to escape she inadvertently lets loose a plethora of monsters. She appeals to the shrine's deity for help and the Blue God and Goddess both rise from the lotus pond. The Blue God subdues the monsters, the lovers are reunited and the gods return to their celestial abodes." [Synopsis by the National Gallery of Australia]
Leon Bakst's Costume Design for a Pilgrim in the "Blue God" (1912)
A leading feature in the appearance of Ballets Russes are the gorgeous color combinations of Leon Bakst, whose work was the sensation of art galleries and a dominant influence in the fashion world. He was the most distinguished artist in line and color that the theater had at the time. The beauty of Diaghilev's company springs from the costumes and scenery that Bakst designed for it. "Color should afford a joy for the eye." - Bakst
Le Dieu Bleu [The Blue God] premiered in Paris on May 13, 1912. Leon Bakst did the set and costume designs, Fokine did the choreography and the ballet was set to the music of Reynaldo Hahn. "Set in mythical India, the ballet opens at a shrine of the Blue God, which is surrounded by rocks and cliffs with a lotus pond in the centre. Worshippers and a young neophyte, soon to become a priest, gather and wait for the ordination ceremony to commence. After the high priest arrives the ceremony begins but is interrupted by the novice's lover, attempting to rescue him from priesthood. She is captured and imprisoned in the shrine, where she is threatened by its resident monsters. While trying to escape she inadvertently lets loose a plethora of monsters. She appeals to the shrine's deity for help and the Blue God and Goddess both rise from the lotus pond. The Blue God subdues the monsters, the lovers are reunited and the gods return to their celestial abodes." [Synopsis by the National Gallery of Australia]