Lev Samoilovich Bakst Biography

Bakst Lev Fate lifted him to the Olympus of world artistic thought, and made the first Russian fashion designer, known to the entire civilized world, the real name of the master-Libe Chaim Izrailevich Rosenberg. He was born on January 26 according to the new style-February 8 in the city of Grodno, now this is the Belarusian regional center, and at that time he was part of the Lithuanian Governor General.

His family was a very believer, staging Jewish traditions. Rosenbergs were hereditary entrepreneurs - the artist’s grandfather earned capital on the supplies of cloth, and his father was engaged in playing the exchange. All the more amazing how a man appeared in such a family who has chosen his life's road. Over time, Rosenbergs moved to St. Petersburg. In a rich and tasteful furniture of his grandfather, located in the very center of the city, the boy first met the creative side of life.

The familiar family, the famous sculptor of his time, Mark Antokolsky, once saw his drawings and advised studying painting. In the year, he received the first, albeit little glory, defeating in the competition for the best portrait of the poet Zhukovsky. Without finishing up in the gymnasium, in the same year the young man entered the Imperial Academy of Arts.

One by one, he went through all courses, showing outstanding abilities. Unfortunately, he did not manage to finish the academy - the commission did not like his expressive work “Mourning of Christ”, presented to the silver medal, and he firmly set out to be expelled from the educational institution. Only thanks to the intercession of Valentin Serov and several other teachers Rosenberg was excluded due to poor vision, and not for a crime against faith, which in those years could lead to punishment.

Since the year, the young man became a free artist, earning on the illustration of books and magazines. He lived at that time on Voznesensky Avenue of the capital, in the same apartment with his brother and two sisters. In the year, the first personal exhibition was held, at which the author spoke to the public already under his new creative pseudonym. So Lev Bakst was born - a name under which the master will become a world artistic celebrity.

There are discrepancies about the origin of the pseudonym, but everyone converges in the fact that this is a shortened surname of one of the artist’s relatives - they say, either grandfather, or uncle, or mother or grandmother wore the surname Baxter. In years, Bakst was already actively exhibited. Unable to reach the boarding house of study at the Academy of Arts, he went to Europe at his own expense.

Since the year, he lived in two cities-Paris and St. Petersburg. He was lucky enough to receive a good order in France, which allowed him to continue his studies with outstanding masters of his time-Jean-Leon Jerome, Rudolf Zhulian, Albert Edelfelt. In the middle of the decade, he joined the innovative creative association “The World of Art”, which was formed around Alexander Benois and Sergey Diaghilev.

Later the magazine of the same name was founded, in the design of which Bakst took part. The very end of the XIX century is the time of the passion for Bakst with easel painting. He became a fashionable portraitist who captured a lot of his outstanding contemporaries on the canvas - his sketch portraits of Andrei Bely, Sergey Diaghilev, Zinaida Gippiius, Alexander Benois are well known.

The artist became entered into the Higher Light. He taught the painting to the children of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich-the younger brother of Alexander III, who at that time commanded the St. Petersburg Military District. He received orders for paintings from the highest -ranking people, including from Emperor Nicholas II. One after another, exhibitions were held in Russia and Europe that invariably aroused interest among the public.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, Bakst was already recognized as a recognized master in various fields of art - book and magazine graphics, easel painting, theatrical decoration. It is interesting that in the year, marriage with Pavel Tretyakov’s daughter, officially replaced his surname from Rosenberg to Bakst, finally merging with his pseudonym. However, family life did not ask - the couple either converged, then diverged, and in the end the marriage broke up.

Since the year, Bakst was in charge of the art school-studio Elizabeth Zvantseva in St. Petersburg. Among his students at that time was Mark Shagal, later an outstanding avant -garde. In the year, Bakst moves to Paris, where the most famous period of his work begins. Famous thanks to the famous "Russian Seasons" by Sergei Diaghilev in Paris. Bakst made a real revolution in theater design art.

The success of the Diaghilean ballet productions would be positively impossible without the creative vision of Lev Samoilovich! The history of theatrical art included the scenery for Diaghilev’s most famous performances-“Cleopatra”, “Shakheresada”, “Firebird”, “Narcissus”, “Carnival” and so on. He belonged to those rare figures in this area who not only follow fashion trends, but literally create fashion with their own hands, set its tone.

Turning to oriental and antique reasons, he interpreted it on new soil.With its submission in Europe, kimono, turbans and harem pants became fashionable. The master was considered the honor to dress the most influential persons, up to the Grand Dukes of the Romanovs house. In the year, Bakst was awarded the French Order of the Honorary Legion - the honor that few artists were awarded.

By that time, Glory had reached Great Britain, where Russian theatrical troupes with the scenery of Bakst's work triumphantly performed on tour. The richest oligarchs of the Rothschilds even ordered a series of portraits and a panel for his mansion. But there were hard years ahead. The First World War began, then the revolution overthrew the emperor. It was already impossible to return to Russia for Bakst.

His conflict with Diaghilev was superimposed on this. For thirty years, they were friends, they quarreled overnight, because the anti -denser committed a rather ugly act. Without paying for the previous works of Bakst to design his performances, Diaghilev also ignored his scenery for the new ballet “Magic Shop”, accepting the work of another artist. Lev Samoilovich himself made them during the year, postponing expensive orders, and, of course, was offended.

At the same time, Diaghilev also doused him with mud through the press. Nevertheless, after a few years they still positable when setting up Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Sleeping Beauty”. Alas, he became the last major work of Bakst. The artist was gone on December 27 in the city of Ruay Malmeson in France. He was buried in the cemetery of Batignol in Paris. Cover: Leo Bakst.