Landscape with Shepherds, Set Design for the Ballet 'Daphnis and Chloé', performed at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, 1912
Léon Bakst Russian, born present day Belarus
Not on view
Daphnis and Chloé was the second of three Greek-themed productions staged in close succession by the Ballets Russes. Based on a Greek text from the second century AD, it recounts the tale of the young lovers Daphnis and Chloé who deny their true feelings for fear of hurting one another. The story had been a favorite pastoral theme in France since the sixteenth century, and inspired various musical performances before Maurice Ravel wrote his ballet for the Ballets Russes in 1912. This beautiful watercolor of part of the stage set shows how much Bakst enjoyed the opportunity to explore his painterly talents as a landscape artist, reinvigorating the highly praised luscious green environment he had created a year prior for the ballet ‘Narcisse’, a design for which can also be found in the Museum's collection.
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