Bakst illustrations. Lev Samoilovich Bakst - biography and paintings. World famous fashion designer

Leon Bakst's first “adult” works were illustrations for children's books. He later became a renowned portrait painter and revolutionary theater decorator, the artist who "drunk Paris" and a designer whose lectures cost two thousand dollars in 1920s America.

Art teacher in the imperial family

Leon Bakst was born in 1866 in Grodno into a Jewish family. At birth he was named Leib-Chaim Rosenberg. When the family moved to the capital, the boy often visited his grandfather, a fashionable tailor, in an elegant old apartment in the very center of St. Petersburg. Leon Bakst read a lot, staged children's puppet shows and listened to stories from his parents and grandfather about the theater. Since childhood, Bakst was also interested in drawing. His father showed his drawings to the sculptor Mark Antokolsky, and he advised the boy to study painting.

Leon Bakst entered the Academy of Arts as a volunteer, but did not graduate. He took lessons from Alexandre Benois and worked part-time creating illustrations for children's books. At the first exhibition of his work in 1889, Leib-Chaim Rosenberg took the pseudonym Leon Bakst.

In 1893, Bakst left for Paris. Here he continued to study painting, and paintings became the young artist’s only source of income. In a letter to a friend, Bakst wrote: “The art seller is impudently taking my best sketches for pennies”.

During one of his visits to St. Petersburg, Leon Bakst began to visit Alexander Benois’s circle. It included artists, writers and art lovers, who later formed the artistic association “World of Art”. When the Miriskus students began publishing their own magazine, Bakst headed the art department. Soon he was invited by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich to give drawing lessons to children.

In the early 1910s, Leon Bakst created a whole gallery of portraits of his contemporaries - Philip Malyavin and Vasily Rozanov, Zinaida Gippius and Jean Cocteau, Sergei Diaghilev and Isadora Duncan.

“The red-haired, ruddy, clever Bakst refused to paint me simply, he needed me to be animated to the point of ecstasy! To do this, he brought his friend from the editorial office of the World of Art magazine, who ate ten dogs in terms of the ability to revive and tell smart stories and anecdotes, then the predatory tiger Bakst, his eyes flashing, would sneak up on me, clutching his brush.”
Andrey Bely

Leon Bakst created a number of landscapes and children's portraits, mystical paintings "Ancient Horror" and "Elysium". Vasily Rozanov wrote about the famous painting “Dinner”: “A stylish decadent of the end of the century, black and white, thin as an ermine, with a mysterious smile a la Gioconda, eating oranges”.

Leon Bakst. Ancient horror. 1908. State Russian Museum

Leon Bakst. Dinner. 1902. State Russian Museum

Leon Bakst. Elysium. 1906. State Tretyakov Gallery

“Paris is truly drunk with Bakst”

In 1903, Leon Bakst first created the scenery for the play and sketches of theatrical costumes. Brothers-choreographers Nikolai and Sergei Legat from the St. Petersburg Imperial Troupe asked the artist to design their ballet “Fairy of Puppets”. Alexandre Benois later recalled this event: “From the first steps, Bakst took a downright dominant position and since then has remained unique and unsurpassed.”.

In the same year, the artist married Lyubov Tretyakova. Pavel Tretyakov agreed to the marriage with one condition: Bakst had to change his religion. The artist converted to Lutheranism. In 1907, the couple separated, and Bakst - now that was his official surname - again converted to Judaism. For this he was expelled from St. Petersburg: in those years, not all Jews had the right to live in the capital.

Leon Bakst went to Greece - together with the artist Valentin Serov. There he made studies of Mediterranean landscapes and sketches, which later became fragments of new theatrical scenery.

Since 1910, Leon Bakst again settled in Paris. During these years, he earned real world fame for his theatrical scenery - voluminous, multi-layered and fabulous. He designed Diaghilev's ballets for his Parisian Russian seasons - Cleopatra, Scheherazade, Carnival and Narcissus.

According to his sketches, costumes were made for artists of the Imperial Theaters - Vaslav and Bronislava Nijinsky, Tamara Karsavina, Vera Fokina. Bakst also collaborated with Ida Rubinstein's pioneering theater troupe. The artist carefully thought out the details of the costumes, their colors and patterns, which emphasized the plasticity and flexibility of the actors during the dances. Art critic Mstislav Dobuzhinsky wrote: “he was recognized and “crowned” by the sophisticated and capricious Paris itself”, and Andrey Levinson - “Paris is truly drunk with Bakst”.

Leon Bakst. Design for Sylvia's costume for the Mariinsky Theater production. 1901. State Russian Museum

Leon Bakst. Sketch of the Firebird costume for Sergei Diaghilev's enterprise. 1910. State Central Theater Museum named after A.A. Bakhrushin

Leon Bakst. Costume design for Salome for a private performance by Ida Rubinstein. 1908. State Tretyakov Gallery

Leon Bakst. Sketch of an “Assyrian-Egyptian” costume for Tamara Karsavina. 1907. State Russian Museum

World famous fashion designer

The capital of France was swept by the fashion for everything oriental and Russian, and these were echoes of the Russian seasons. Turbans and wigs, shawls and dresses reminiscent of actors' costumes appeared in stores. Leon Bakst developed the design of interiors and accessories, furniture and dishes, jewelry and even cars. During these years he became one of the most popular designers in Paris. Maximilian Voloshin wrote about the artist: “Bakst managed to capture that elusive nerve of Paris that rules fashion, and its influence is now being felt everywhere in Paris - both in ladies’ dresses and at art exhibitions.”.

A book about Bakst’s work was published in Paris, and the French government awarded him the Order of the Legion of Honor. The artist published his articles on contemporary art, took a lot of photographs, wrote an autobiographical novel and gave lectures on contemporary art in Russia, America and Europe.

Leon Bakst also developed the fabric design. After the Russian seasons, expensive French stores began selling “Odalisque” and “Scheherazade” fabrics. For the Parisian couturier Paul Poiret, Bakst created original ornaments and sophisticated designs. Bakst's fabrics were popular not only in Europe, but also in America. One of the latest creative projects of the world-famous artist was a hundred sketches of fabrics for mass production.

In fact, the low tailoring genre attracted the artist no less than the high theatrical one since St. Petersburg times: in parallel with the costumes for the ballets of the Alexandrinsky Theater, Bakst also created everyday outfits for his wife Lyubov Gritsenko, the daughter of Pavel Tretyakov - by the way, not only the founder of the gallery, but and owner of textile factories. “Clients came with beautiful watercolors, bought from Bakst for a lot of money,” wrote the then king of Parisian fashion, Paul Poiret, in his memoirs. For twelve dress drawings, he once offered Bakst twelve thousand francs. History has not preserved the conditions under which Bakst eventually signed a contract with Poiret and supplied him with ideas for a year.

In 1912, the artist entered into a new contract, for three years, with another important house for Parisian fashion - Jeanne Paquin. Bakst received ten percent from the sale of each outfit with patterns he invented. And during the First World War, he was already seriously discussing the creation of his own design bureau not only for fabrics and clothing, but also for dishes, furniture, interior items, and even aimed at cars.

Bakst’s collaboration with Selig might not have happened if not for the First World War, which put an end to the artist’s plans to create his own design bureau in Paris. The popularity of Diaghilev's seasons began to decline, and there was a rift between the impresario and the artist. As a result, when Bakst, the breadwinner of a family of fourteen people, was offered an offer to come to America - to hold exhibitions, give lectures, and paint portraits of the elite, he agreed.

In January 1923, at the Plaza Hotel in New York, Bakst gave his first lecture on fashion with resounding success. It is believed that it was after her that the artist was introduced to the silk king of America, Selig. He invited Bakst to create patterns for his fabrics, asking him to use folk American motifs. Then they actively came into fashion. The era of passion for jazz, blues, and Charleston—“black art”—has begun.

Bakst greeted Selig's proposal with enthusiasm. He entered into correspondence with an expert on American antiquities, Crawford, subscribed to the newsletter of the Archaeological Institute of America, and on his next visit, a year later, he went on a trip to the West Coast to study Indian art on the reservations of California and the Great Plains: ceramics, leather embossing, bedspreads, carpets of the Navajo, Acoma, Hopi tribes. In them the artist saw, as he himself put it, “the green freshness of the primitive”: abstract stylizations, symmetry of designs, vivid colors.

The artist called the ornament “the cornerstone of the entire movement.”

And the cornerstone of Bakst’s ornament was geometry. In this, the modernist Bakst was a direct heir to the unknown creators of patchwork Harlequin costumes, the authors of ancient amphorae and ancient Egyptian pictograms - for him, the complexity of the pattern also arose from simple elements ingeniously put together. On the costumes for the ballet Narcissus, Bakst arranged concentric circles with contrasting polka dots inside in strict order. In "Pisanella" there are triangles, in "Daphnis and Chloe" there are rhombuses and a chessboard, in "Sadko" there are crescents. In "Firebird" the geometry was formed by stencil birds and stars. It also happened the other way around: Bakst could lay out images of animals, arabesques, and entire miniatures from simple figures.

So it is in his patterns for silk. In one sketch, abstract figures of women, horsemen, and winged monsters, inspired by images of the Aztecs and Incas, are monochromatic, but shaded inside, and the background is structural, pointillist. Another design consists of colored triangles in a checkerboard pattern, but these triangles are actually either stylized shaggy spruce trees or veins of dried leaves from a herbarium. Even the most complex patterns at first glance are ordered. Take, for example, the one depicting a black child: on it there is a pictogram of a person, and the sun, and birds, and a paraphrase of Ionic capitals, and a “herringbone”. But only the color scheme is asymmetrical.

The artist also used Russian motifs. The pattern from Little Russian embroidered shirts became the background in the sketches, Zhostovo flowers, on the contrary, came to the fore, losing their black backdrop, like Khokhloma swans and rowan leaves. There were also Indian Vedic curls, minotaurs and Icari, vegetation from Persian and Turkish carpets - Bakst's fabric sketches had the same exotic sources of inspiration as during the World of Art and ballets. And again a flurry of colors - Bakst in textiles is the same colorist who shocked Paris during the time of Diaghilev with unexpected counterpoints: he combined orange with blue and green, green with red, pink with ochre.

In less than a year, Bakst handed over ninety-six sketches to Selig, and twelve or twenty of them went into production. Selig's fabrics were sold at Lord & Taylor department stores (on Fifth Avenue in New York).

This was the end of the collaboration between Selig and Bakst - in December 1924, the artist died in Paris. After the artist’s death, the sketches lay in the office of his American lawyer for a couple of years, and later ended up in the careful hands of Alon Bement, director of the Maryland Institute-College of Fine and Applied Arts, who transferred them to his native Institute in 1942. Several years ago, the Institute's management decided to sell this valuable asset. 33 original fabric designs, executed by the inimitable Lev Bakst, left the walls of the Baltimore Museum of Art, where they were stored, and in excellent condition reached the homeland of their creator. Bakst's works were bought by Russian collector and gallery owner Natalia Kournikova. The "Our Artists" gallery has reproduced the drawings on modern Italian silks - as a result, you can look not only at the gouache sketches made by Bakst's hand, but also at what the embodiment of his plans looks like.

Textile ornaments L.S. Bakst are now completely forgotten. In the luxurious albums dedicated to French and American textiles of the first quarter of the 20th century (Schoeser & Rufey, 1989), there is no place for Bakst. But the huge number of unattributed samples of fabrics, called by the authors “Fabric in the Russian-Oriental Style,” may mean that this is fabric printed and woven according to one of the 96 sketches that Bakst sold to textile manufacturers in the late 1920s years and for which he received a huge amount - more than 80 thousand francs.

Regular corrected article

Leon Bakst
Photo
Birth name:	Leib-Chaim Izrailevich Rosenberg
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Citizenship:	Russian empire
Genre:	artist, set designer, book illustrator
Works on Wikimedia Commons

Leon Nikolaevich Bakst(real name - Leib-Chaim Izrailevich, or Lev Samoilovich Rosenberg; 1866-1924) - Russian artist, set designer, book illustrator, master of easel painting and theatrical graphics, one of the most prominent figures in the World of Art association and theatrical and artistic projects of S. P. Diaghilev.

Biography

Lev Rosenberg was born on May 10, 1866 in Grodno (now Belarus) into a poor Jewish family of a Talmudic scholar.

After graduating from high school, he studied as a volunteer at the Academy of Arts, working part-time as a book illustrator. At his first exhibition (1889) he adopted a pseudonym Bakst- shortened grandmother's surname ( Baxter).

In the early 90s he exhibited in Watercolor Society. In 1893-1897 he lived in Paris, often returning to St. Petersburg. From the mid-90s, he joined the circle of writers and artists formed around Diaghilev and Alexandre Benois, which would later turn into the World of Art association. In 1898, together with Diaghilev, he took part in the founding of the publication of the same name. The graphics published in this magazine bring him fame.

He continues to engage in easel painting, creating portraits of Malyavin (1899), Rozanov (1901), Andrei Bely (1905), Zinaida Gippius (1906). She also teaches painting to the children of Grand Duke Vladimir. In 1902 in Paris he received an order from Nicholas II for Meeting Russian sailors.

In 1898, Bakst showed works at the “First Exhibition of Russian and Finnish Artists” organized by Diaghilev; at the World of Art exhibitions, at the Secession exhibition in Munich, exhibitions Artels of Russian artists, etc.

During the revolution of 1905, Bakst worked for the magazines “Zhupel”, “Hellish Mail”, “Satyricon”, and later in the art magazine “Apollo”.

In 1906, Bakst traveled to Greece and in the film “Ancient Horror” (1908) conveyed his vision of antiquity.

In 1909, Bakst was expelled from St. Petersburg as a Jew without the right to reside, for his demonstrative return to Judaism from Christianity (adopted for the sake of marrying the daughter of the merchant and philanthropist P. Tretyakov).

He joined the ballet troupe of S. Diaghilev and moved to Paris, where he participated in the creation of all ballet performances during the Russian seasons (“Egyptian Nights” by Arensky, 1909; “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov, 1910; “The Firebird” by Stravinsky, 1910 ; “Narcissus” by Tcherepnin, 1910 and others).

All this time he has been living in Europe, because as a Jew he does not have a residence permit outside the Pale of Settlement.

During his visits to St. Petersburg, he teaches at Zvantseva’s school. One of his students was Marc Chagall (1908-1910), but in 1910 they broke off relations. Bakst forbids Chagall to go to Paris, since, in his opinion, this will harm Chagall’s art, and financially will lead the young artist to starvation (Chagall did not paint theatrical scenery). Chagall nevertheless went, did not starve, and found his own style of painting.

In 1914, Bakst was elected a member of the Academy of Arts.

In 1918, Bakst finally broke off relations with Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. On December 27, 1924, he dies in Paris from pulmonary edema.

Most famous works

Paintings and drawings

Dinner, 1902
“Ancient Horror”, 1908, Russian Museum
Fantastic landscape
Portrait of Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev with his nanny
Elysium
Portrait of Zinaida Gippius
Portrait of Andrei Bely
Portrait of J. Cocteau, 1911;
Portrait of L. Myasine, 1914;
Portrait of V. Zukki, 1917;
Portrait of I. Rubinstein, 1921;
Portrait of I. Bunin, 1921

Design of performances

Ballet design

"Cleopatra", 1909;
"Firebird", 1910;
"Narcissus", 1911;
"Daphnis and Chloe", 1912.

Bakst Gippius.JPG

Zinaida Gippius, 1906

Bakst Elisium.jpg

Elysium, 1906

Bakst Lightning.jpg

Ancient Horror, 1908

Leon Bakst 001.jpg

Sketch of a ballet costume for the ballet Firebird. 1910

Bakst Nizhinsky.jpg

Nijinsky in ballet A faun's afternoon rest 1912

Bakst - Ida Rubinstein (1885-1960) comme Helene de Sparte, 1912.jpg

Costume design for Ida Rubinstein for the ballet Elena Spartanskaya 1912

Yellow Sultana. Based on the ballet "Scheherazade" 1916

Poster for the dance recital of Elisa Jouandeau at the Parisian theater "Caryathis" 1919

Sketch of ballet costumes for Dancer and Slave 1921

Bakst1923phedratheseus.jpg

Costume designs for Phaedra and Theseus for the tragedy "Phaedra", Renaissance Theatre, Paris 1923

Nude, 1905

Leon Bakst (1866-1924) - one of the most prominent representatives of Russian Art Nouveau, artist, set designer, master of easel painting and theatrical graphics, was born in Grodno. His father is Israel Rosenberg. Some call him a Talmudic scholar, others call him a mediocre businessman. It is possible that he was both at the same time. Israel Rosenberg named his son Leib-Chaim. Later, Leib became Leo. Leo - Leon. The usual transformation of Jewish names in the Russian-speaking environment. Soon after the birth of their son, the Rosenberg family moved from Grodno to St. Petersburg.

Portrait of a Woman, 1906

He spent his childhood in St. Petersburg, where his grandfather lived, who loved social life and luxury. Grandfather was a rich tailor. The boy grew up sickly and had a noticeable imbalance of character. From his mother he inherited a love of books and read them voraciously, at random. The child owed his first vivid impressions to his grandfather, a former Parisian who brought the chic of a French salon to his apartment on Nevsky Prospekt. Walls covered with yellow silk, antique furniture, paintings, ornamental plants, gilded cages with canaries - everything here was “not at home”, everything delighted the emotional boy. The stories of parents returning from Italian operas also caused joyful excitement.

Young Dahomean, 1895

As a boy, he enthusiastically performed in front of his sisters plays invented and staged by himself. Figures cut out from books and magazines turned into heroes of dramatizations performed in front of the sisters. But then the moment came when adults began to take the boy with them to the theater, and a magical world opened up before him. Could anyone have thought then that it was here that many years later he would find his true calling.

Portrait of Alexandre Benois, 1898

Very early on, Leo developed a passion for painting. My father resisted to the best of his ability. As a Talmudist, it’s not a Jewish thing to “paint little men.” And as a businessman. Painting was considered unprofitable. The artists, for the most part, led a semi-beggarly existence. Israel Rosenberg was a tolerant man. And, in order to make sure what the picturesque efforts of the indomitable son were, either through mutual friends or through relatives, he contacted the sculptor Mark Antokolky. The master looked at the drawings, found in them undoubted signs of talent and strongly advised him to study.

Portrait of a dancer M. Casati, 1912

The advice took effect and in 1883 young Rosenberg entered the Academy of Arts as a volunteer. The future Bakst stayed here from 1883 to 1887. Academic training did not correspond much to the trends of the era. The professors, for the most part, strictly adhered to the classical canons. And they completely ignored new trends in painting, the notorious Art Nouveau in its diverse forms and manifestations. And, to the best of our ability, we discouraged students from leaving the once and for all beaten path. Bakst did not study too hard. Failed the competition for a silver medal. After which he left the Academy. Either as a sign of protest. Either having finally lost faith.

Lady on the Sofa, 1905

After Leon Bakst left the Academy, at that time Rosenberg was still studying painting with Albert Benois. The father, apparently, refused to further finance his son’s creative endeavors. And the young artist earned his living and paid for his lessons in some publishing house. He illustrated children's books. In 1889, Leib-Chaim Rosenberg became Leon Bakst. The artist borrowed his new surname, or rather pseudonym, from his maternal grandmother, shortening it somewhat. Grandmother's last name was Baxter. The appearance of the catchy pseudonym was associated with the first exhibition at which the artist decided to present his works. It seemed to him that in the eyes of the Russian public, an artist named Leon Bakst had undeniable advantages over the artist Leib-Chaim Rosenberg.

Portrait of Zinaida Gippius, 1906

Also in 1893, Leon Bakst arrived in Paris. He studied at Jerome's studio and at the Académie Julien. In places widely known among artists all over the world, where one could learn and, accordingly, learn new art, not connected with centuries-old traditions. Life was difficult for Bakst in Paris. He lived mainly from the sales of his paintings. More precisely sketches. In a letter to a friend, Leon Bakst complained bitterly: “I am still struggling not to leave Paris... The art seller impudently takes my best sketches for a pittance.” Leon Bakst lived in Paris for six years.

Portrait of Andrei Lvovich Bakst, son of the artist, 1908

From time to time he came to St. Petersburg. Either to unwind and relax, or to make new connections and exchange impressions. During one of his visits, Leon Bakst met the Neva Pickwickians. It was a self-education circle organized by the famous Russian artist, art historian, and art critic Alexander Benois. The circle included Konstantin Somov, Dmitry Filosofov, Sergei Diaghilev and some other artists, art critics and writers, who eventually formed the famous artistic association “World of Art”.

Portrait of the future Countess Henri de Boisgelin, 1924

In 1898, the first issue of the magazine "World of Art" was published - the organ of an artistic association and a group of symbolist writers. The editor of the magazine was Sergei Diaghilev. The magazine's editorial office was located in the editor's house; the first years on Liteiny Prospekt, 45, and from 1900 on the Fontanka River Embankment, 11. The art department of the magazine was headed by Leon Bakst. He also came up with a stamp for the magazine with an eagle “reigning arrogantly, mysteriously and lonely on a snowy peak.” The art department of the magazine widely exhibited works by outstanding representatives of domestic and foreign painting. This determined the high artistic and aesthetic level of the publication, made it a mouthpiece for new trends in art, and influenced the development of Russian culture at the turn of the century.

Model

In 1903, Bakst became friends with the widow of the artist Gritsenko, Lyubov Pavlovna. She was the daughter of an eminent merchant, a great connoisseur and collector of paintings, the founder of the world famous gallery P.M. Tretyakov. Tretyakov adhered to liberal views and had nothing against Jews in general, and Bakst himself in particular. I appreciated him as an artist. I willingly bought paintings. But Baksta did not perceive Baksta as a son-in-law as a Jew. A Jew - no matter what. But a Jew, a person associated with Jewish religion, did not fit into centuries-old family traditions. And Bakst had to make concessions. According to one version, he converted from Judaism to Lutheranism. According to another, he became Orthodox in order to perform a church wedding ceremony.

Portrait of Walter Fedorovich Nouvel, 1895

In 1907, Bakst had a son, Andrei (in the future - a theater and film artist, died in 1972 in Paris). The marriage turned out to be fragile. In 1909, Leon Bakst left the family. The divorce did not affect the relationship with his ex-wife. They remained invariably friendly. When Lyubov Pavlovna left Russia with her son in 1921, Leon Bakst supported them financially until the end of his days. Another thing is interesting. Soon after the divorce, Christian convert Leon Bakst returned to the faith of his fathers.

Portrait of Anna Pavlova, 1908

In 1909, in accordance with the new law on Jews in the Russian Empire, he was asked to leave St. Petersburg. Bakst had extensive connections. Many influential acquaintances. The Imperial Court used his services. But he decided not to resort to anyone's help. And he left for Paris. The powers that be changed their anger to the mercy of those in power in 1914. This year Bakst was elected a member of the Academy of Arts. And in this capacity, regardless of religion, he had the right to live wherever he pleased.

Portrait of a girl. 1905

From 1908 to 1910, during visits from Paris to St. Petersburg, Leon Bakst taught at Zvantseva's private painting school. One of Bakst's students was Marc Chagall. Bakst drew attention to the remarkable talent of the young Chagall. Although, as they write, he did not fully approve of him and was strict in his assessments. For all his innovation, Bakst believed that for an artist, regardless of direction, nature should serve as a model. Chagall's alogisms and Chagall's notorious "picture mania" embarrassed him. Chagall's fellow student Obolenskaya recalled that, looking at Chagall's painting of a violinist sitting on a mountain, Bakst could not understand how the violinist managed to drag such a large chair up such a large mountain.

Portrait of Andrei Bely, 1905

Chagall wanted to follow his teacher to Paris. He was irresistibly drawn to Europe. Bakst was against it. “So you are happy with the prospect of dying among 30 thousand artists flocking to Paris from all over the world,” he said. Judging by the manuscript of Chagall's book "My Life", Bakst simply cursed his student. Chagall's wife Bella, while preparing the book for publication, blotted out several out-of-the-ordinary expressions. In those years, unlike our time, profanity was not allowed on the pages of literary works. According to Chagall, Bakst handed him one hundred rubles and advised him to use them to greater advantage in Russia. He had supported Chagall financially before.

Portrait of the writer Dmitry Fedorovich Filosofov, 1897

Bakst did a lot of portrait painting and willingly. His brushes include portraits of famous figures of literature and art: Levitan, Diaghilev, Rozanov, Zinaida Gippius, Isadora Duncan, Jean Cocteau, Konstantin Somov, Andrei Bely. Andrei Bely recalled: “The red-haired, ruddy, clever Bakst refused to write me simply, he needed me to be animated to the point of ecstasy! To do this, he brought his friend from the editorial office of the World of Art magazine, who ate ten dogs in terms of the ability to revive and tell clever stories and anecdotes, then the predatory tiger Bakst, his eyes flashing, sneaked up on me, clutching my brush.” Art historians consider Bakst one of the most prominent Russian portrait painters of the early twentieth century.

Portrait of Princess Olga Konstantinovna Orlova, 1909

Leon Bakst was not only a wonderful portrait painter. He proved himself to be an outstanding landscape painter. His graphic works, as contemporaries noted, were “strikingly decorative, full of special mysterious poetry and very “bookish.” Despite the variety of manifestations of artistic talent and the associated opportunities, Bakst did not have any special income. Constantly in need of money, Bakst collaborated with satirical magazines, worked on book graphics, designed the interiors of various exhibitions, and taught drawing to children of wealthy parents.

Portrait of L.P. Gritsenko (This is Bakst’s wife and daughter of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov) 1903

In 1903, in St. Petersburg, Bakst was asked to take part in the design of the ballet “The Fairy of Puppets”. The set and costume designs created by Bakst were received enthusiastically. “From the first steps,” Alexander Benois later wrote, “Bakst took a truly dominant position and since then has remained unique and unsurpassed.”

Portrait of Madame T., 1918

In Paris, Bakst joined the ballet group of the organizer of the Russian Seasons in Paris, Sergei Diaghilev. Sergei Pavlovich brought several ballets to Paris. These ballets, which served as the basis for the Russian Seasons, shocked the jaded French and aroused in them a storm of incomparable delight. Diaghilev's Russian Seasons owed its triumph, first of all, to Bakst's exceptionally beautiful productions. A special, “Bakst” style, with its wonderful, almost mysterious, amazing interweaving of the magic of ornament and combination of colors.

Portrait of Sergei Diaghilev with his nanny, 1906

The theatrical costumes created by Bakst, which were written about a lot in various art-related publications, thanks to rhythmically repeating color patterns, emphasized the dynamics of the dance and the actor’s movements. The pinnacle of Bakst's creativity was the scenery for Diaghilev's ballets: "Cleopatra" 1909, "Scheherazade" 1910, "Carnival" 1910, "Narcissus" 1911, "Daphnis and Chloe" 1912. These productions, as critics wrote, literally “drove Paris crazy.” And they laid the foundation for the artist’s world fame.

Portrait of a girl in a Russian kokoshnik, 1911

The Russian artist, art critic and memoirist Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, who knew Bakst since the days of joint teaching at the Zvantseva school of painting and was thoroughly familiar with his work, wrote: “He was recognized and “crowned” by the refined and capricious Paris itself, and what is surprising, despite the kaleidoscopic the change of idols, the variability of Parisian hobbies, despite all the “shifts” caused by the war, new phenomena in the field of art, the noise of futurism - Bakst still remained one of the unchangeable legislators of “taste.” Paris had already forgotten that Bakst was a foreigner, that he has his “roots” in St. Petersburg, that he is an artist of the “World of Art.” Leon Bakst - began to sound like the most Parisian of Parisian names.”

Lady with Oranges (Dinner), 1902

In 1918, Leon Bakst left Diaghilev's group. His departure is attributed to a number of reasons. This is a world war. The French had no time for "Russian Seasons". In addition, Bakst found himself cut off from Diaghilev’s troupe. The troupe remained in Paris, and Bakst was in Switzerland at that time. Bakst’s departure from the troupe, and this is perhaps the most important thing, was prompted by aesthetic differences with Diaghilev and growing contradictions. Diaghilev was a dictator. Long before the “Paris Seasons,” while working on a portrait of Diaghilev, Bakst complained that Diaghilev absolutely did not know how to pose, that he watched literally every stroke, and demanded that he look more beautiful in the portrait than in life. Apparently, while working on the sketches, Diaghilev tried to influence, strongly advised something, and made demands. Bakst didn't like this. And at some stage he refused to cooperate.

Portrait of Isaac Levitan, 1899

In Paris, Bakst was extremely popular. His style was adopted by the trendsetters of Parisian fashion. And they began to use it widely. Russian poet Maximilian Voloshin wrote: “Bakst managed to capture that elusive nerve of Paris that rules fashion, and its influence is now being felt everywhere in Paris - both in ladies’ dresses and at art exhibitions.” A book dedicated to Bakst’s work was published. This book, according to contemporaries, “represented the height of technical perfection.” The French government awarded Bakst the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Portrait of Isadora Duncan

Bakst's loud Parisian fame and world fame meant little for Russia. For the Russian authorities, Bakst, first of all, was a Jew, with all the ensuing consequences. Russian publicist, art and literary critic Dmitry Filosofov wrote: “After the first revolution, already “famous”, with a red ribbon in his buttonhole, he came from Paris to St. Petersburg, completely forgetting that he was a Jew from the Pale of Settlement. Imagine his surprise when a police officer came to him and said that he must immediately leave either for Berdichev or for Zhitomir.” The late vice-president of the Academy of Arts, Count Ivan Ivanovich Tolstoy (later the mayor) was indignant, the press made a fuss, and Bakst was left alone. Yes, of course, he was a Jew. But he felt like a son of Russia, firstly, and a human being, secondly. And most importantly, an artist.

Self-portrait, 1893

Bakst's popularity and his great fame had a tragic impact on his fate. Bakst was inundated with orders that he could not, and did not want to refuse. Overwork undermined his health. Leon Bakst died on December 27, 1924 in Paris, at the age of 58. While working on the ballet "Istar" for Ida Rubinstein's troupe, he suffered a "nervous attack." Bakst was hospitalized at the Riel-Malmaison hospital. They couldn't help him. According to another version, kidney disease brought Bakst to his grave. Another cause is called “pulmonary edema”. Perhaps we are talking about manifestations of the same disease. People who were not very knowledgeable in medicine were based not so much on the diagnosis as on its dominant manifestations. Bakst was buried in the Batignolles cemetery in Paris.

Portrait of Countess Keller, 1902

Based on materials from Valentin Domil’s article “The Great Bakst”

Rainfall, 1906

Leon Bakst (1866-1924) - one of the most prominent representatives of Russian Art Nouveau, artist, set designer, master of easel painting and theatrical graphics, was born in Grodno.

His father is Israel Rosenberg. Some call him a Talmudic scholar, others call him a mediocre businessman. It is possible that he was both at the same time. Israel Rosenberg named his son Leib-Chaim. Later, Leib became Leo. Leo - Leon. The usual transformation of Jewish names in the Russian-speaking environment. Soon after the birth of their son, the Rosenberg family moved from Grodno to St. Petersburg.

Very early on, Leo developed a passion for painting. My father resisted to the best of his ability. As a Talmudist, it is not a Jewish thing to “paint little men.” And as a businessman. Painting was considered unprofitable. The artists, for the most part, led a semi-beggarly existence. Israel Rosenberg was a tolerant man. And, in order to make sure what the picturesque efforts of the indomitable son were, either through mutual friends or through relatives, he contacted the sculptor Mark Antokolky. The master looked at the drawings, found in them undoubted signs of talent and strongly advised him to study.

Also in 1893, Leon Bakst arrived in Paris. He studied at Jerome's studio and at the Académie Julien. In places widely known among artists all over the world, where one could learn and, accordingly, learn new art, not connected with centuries-old traditions. Life was difficult for Bakst in Paris. He lived mainly from the sales of his paintings. More precisely sketches. In a letter to a friend, Leon Bakst bitterly complained: “I am still struggling not to leave Paris... The art seller impudently takes my best sketches for a pittance.” Leon Bakst lived in Paris for six years.

In 1898, the first issue of the magazine “World of Art” was published, the organ of an artistic association and a group of symbolist writers. The editor of the magazine was Sergei Diaghilev. The magazine's editorial office was located in the editor's house; the first years on Liteiny Prospekt, 45, and from 1900 on the Fontanka River Embankment, 11. The art department of the magazine was headed by Leon Bakst. He also came up with a stamp for the magazine with an eagle “reigning arrogantly, mysteriously and lonely on a snowy peak.” The art department of the magazine widely exhibited works by outstanding representatives of domestic and foreign painting. This determined the high artistic and aesthetic level of the publication, made it a mouthpiece for new trends in art, and influenced the development of Russian culture at the turn of the century.

In 1903, Bakst became friends with the widow of the artist Gritsenko, Lyubov Pavlovna. She was the daughter of an eminent merchant, a great connoisseur and collector of paintings, the founder of the world famous gallery P.M. Tretyakov. Tretyakov adhered to liberal views and had nothing against Jews in general, and Bakst himself in particular. I appreciated him as an artist. I willingly bought paintings. But Baksta did not perceive Baksta as a son-in-law as a Jew. A Jew, no matter what. But a Jew, a person associated with Jewish religion, did not fit into centuries-old family traditions. And Bakst had to make concessions. According to one version, he converted from Judaism to Lutheranism. According to another, he became Orthodox in order to perform a church wedding ceremony.

In 1907, Bakst had a son, Andrei (future theater and film artist, died in 1972 in Paris). The marriage turned out to be fragile. In 1909, Leon Bakst left the family. The divorce did not affect the relationship with his ex-wife. They remained invariably friendly. When Lyubov Pavlovna left Russia with her son in 1921, Leon Bakst supported them financially until the end of his days. Another thing is interesting. Soon after the divorce, Christian convert Leon Bakst returned to the faith of his fathers.

From 1908 to 1910, during visits from Paris to St. Petersburg, Leon Bakst taught at Zvantseva's private painting school. One of Bakst's students was Marc Chagall. Bakst drew attention to the remarkable talent of the young Chagall. Although, as they write, he did not entirely approve of him and was strict in his assessments. For all his innovation, Bakst believed that for an artist, regardless of direction, nature should serve as a model. Chagall's alogisms and Chagall's notorious “picture mania” embarrassed him. Chagall's fellow student Obolenskaya recalled that, looking at Chagall's painting of a violinist sitting on a mountain, Bakst could not understand how the violinist managed to drag such a large chair up such a large mountain.

Chagall wanted to follow his teacher to Paris. He was irresistibly drawn to Europe. Bakst was against it. “So you are happy with the prospect of dying among 30 thousand artists flocking to Paris from all over the world,” he said. Judging by the manuscript of Chagall’s book “My Life,” Bakst simply cursed his student. Chagall's wife Bella, while preparing the book for publication, blotted out several out-of-the-ordinary expressions. In those years, unlike our time, profanity was not allowed on the pages of literary works. According to Chagall, Bakst handed him one hundred rubles and advised him to use them to greater advantage in Russia. He had supported Chagall financially before.

Bakst's popularity and his great fame had a tragic impact on his fate. Bakst was inundated with orders that he could not, and did not want to refuse. Overwork undermined his health. Leon Bakst died on December 27, 1924 in Paris, at the age of 58. While working on the ballet “Istar” for Ida Rubinstein’s troupe, he suffered a “nervous attack.” Bakst was hospitalized at the Riel-Malmaison hospital. They couldn't help him. According to another version, kidney disease brought Bakst to his grave. Another cause is called “pulmonary edema”. Perhaps we are talking about manifestations of the same disease. People who were not very knowledgeable in medicine were based not so much on the diagnosis as on its dominant manifestations. Bakst was buried in the Batignolles cemetery in Paris.