Bakst artist biography

Journal number: 1 18 In the preparation of this publication, many provided us invaluable assistance. I would like to express special gratitude to Nikolai and Peter Kontantinovich. Leo Bakst is the greatest theater artist, a wonderful draftsman, a thin painter, an unsurpassed master of the line. This line - curved, tense, emotional and at the same time amazingly harmonious - has become a kind of business card not only of the artist’s work, but also the style of modernity, which cannot be imagined without Bakst.

What do we know about his life? Leib Haim Izrailevich Rosenberg - this is how his name in official papers is listed. Born in Grodno in an orthodox Jewish family. Father, Samuel Rosenberg, who enjoyed the authority of the expert on the Talmud, according to the niece of Bakst, M. Klyachko [1], “a very cultural person, had a great influence on the family” [2].

In the declining years, she recalled: “My grandfather was an elevated soul, rare,” my mother told me, “and the children of my mother [3], Aunt Rose [4], Levochka and Isai [5] adored him” [6]. Without large means, he married the only daughter of the Grodno businessman Bakster, the supplier of the cloth for the Russian army, who soon adopted his son -in -law and contained his whole family [7].

For commercial and other reasons, Grandfather Bakst moved to Petersburg and moved the family of the only daughter there. Moreover, Lev did not take his grandmother with him [8]. According to family traditions, she did not want to go, as she was afraid of the railway. In St. Petersburg, Baxter was carried away by a young secular woman, a Jew. He arranged a divorce from his first wife and married secondly [9].

Klyachko wrote: “His apartment made a great impression on Levushka: it was so beautiful, with this taste it was removed; The great -grandfather himself was a gorgeous dressed gentleman; He sacrificed a lot of shelters for the poor, and King Alexander II shook his hand, thanks to him ”[10]. The surname of Lev Samoilovich - Bakst is a derivative of the maiden name of his mother - Baxter.

According to M. Klyachko, her family was called “Baba Gita” [11], she was married for 15 years. She had 10 children, of which only four survived: Leo, Rosalia, Sofia and Isai [12]. They also had an older sister who died of burns in childhood, which Bakst remembered all his life with horror: “My older sister died a girl of seven years old, turning over a samovar. Since then, I have always been horrified by horror at the children who are hiding at the samovar ”[13].

Time passed, one of the Rosenberg brothers became a famous artist, the other - a journalist, a theater critic. The sisters got married. Rosalia became a writer, a poetess, a translator. She died in St. Petersburg from hunger in the year. Her son, A. Manfred [14], later became a famous historian, the author of many books. Sofia married, devoting her life to the family and a brilliant brother.

Bakst - L. Nights Dear Lyubov Pavlovna! Your note revived me all day, I go like a birthday! And do not be angry for yesterday, for God's sake. I flared up so that I did not give myself time to come to my senses, as I sent you this unfortunate letter. Want to know the details of the performance [i]?

Success "colossal", as Taljakovsky [II] says. Even suspicious - I do not like such success. Here is a court! The artists of my ballet in frantic admiration for everything, especially from costumes, and at dinner drank my health. Everything as it should be. Preobrazhenskaya [IV] directly ingenious doll, better much Charlotte Wiche. Pavlova [v] - a beautiful landscape, in the spirit of Goya and Thiophile Gautier, stylish, noble and thin.

Kshesinskaya [VI] is terribly suitable for a suit and hairstyle, and she danced sweetly. In general, in the ballet, he suddenly became a spoilage of everyone, was friendly with everyone, confusing all parties, you won’t break them! Today A. Then everyone went to the bear. D. dinner arrived there, I sat next to A. He will be on May 15 in Florence. I would like to give much earlier what do you think about it?

Or do you think anything? Come to you, upset your peace, habits, cute local friends, to put your eyes at you all the time and look for an opportunity to snatch a tiny kiss or handshake. Look how modest I have become! Come to you; To see a sweet, expensive expression on the face, sleepy eyes, a warm pen, a narrow leg, elegance itself, but. Will you be as kind to me as before?

Will you patiently demolish how I pulled you, fiddled, showered with kisses, squeezed, tormented you? You are so wonderful, submissive - I am waiting for you to rush to kiss me: I catch everything a moment when the mind gives way to feeling. To do this, you need to believe deeply, but do you believe me? I kiss your neck firmly. Your lion. The premiere at the Hermitage Theater for the Tsar’s Family took place on February 7, Taljakovsky wrote on February 5: “Today, a general rehearsal of the Fairy Puppet Ballet took place in the Hermitage Theater.

The ballet was very successful. The scenery of Bakst is very satisfactory, the drawings of costumes are many original. Diaries of the director of imperial theaters. This refers to A. Koreshchenko’s ballet “Magic Mirror”, the scenery and costumes of Golovin and Gurley. Preobrazhenskaya Olga Iosifovna is a ballerina, in the ballet the Fairy of the Puppets performed the party of Bebe.Pavlova Anna Pavlovna - - Ballerina, in the ballet "Fairy of the Puppeters" performed a party of Spanish.

Kshesinskaya Matilda Feliksovna - - Russian ballerina, in the ballet "Fairy of the Puppeters" performed the party of the fairy of the dolls. Botkin Alexandra Pavlovna--sister L. Gritsenko, member of the Council of the Tretyakov Gallery-Argutinsky-Dolgorukov Vladimir Nikolaevich--prince, collector, official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diaghilev Sergey Pavlovich - - art and theater figure, one of the founders of the Association "World of Art".

The well -known restaurant “Bear” was on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, belonged to A. Philosopher Dmitry Vladimirovich - - writer, one of the founders of the Arts of Art association, cousin S. Nuvel Valter Fedorovich - a musical and theater figure, a member of the journal “World of Art”, an official of the office of the Ministry of Imperial Courtyard.

Koribut-Kubitovich Pavel Georgievich--Cousin S. Botkin Sergey Sergeyevich--doctor, collector, husband A. Benois, A. Alexander Benois at the same Vernissage arranged a hand-to-hand with the director of the drawing school of the Society of Arts E. Sabaneyev, then awaiting the whole evening of the call to the duel. The Rosenberg family lived together for a long time, the children received a good education.

In such a family, the talent of a young artist developed, although the parents did not encourage serious painting and, according to M. Klyachko, they often even threw the left -handed paint. Time passed, the circumstances changed, and the children quickly had to get used to independence. Something happened between the parents. Klyachko recalled: “Parents dispersed and divorced. Their mother got married - and the father married, thinking of giving the opportunity for children to live with him.

But it became impossible for adult children to live with the stepmother’s uncle, mother, their sister and younger brother settled separately in a small apartment, there was little money. Mom and aunt earned - lessons, their youngest brother wrote notes in the theater department of the newspaper, and Uncle Leva did not disdain any drawing work. This paid off with immense love, which the young artist was surrounded in the family.

The sisters simply adored him. Any success of Leuvushka was a holiday for them, and failures were bitterly experienced. According to M. Klyachko, “Mom [15] loved him terribly. In her youth after severe inflammation of the brain, as a result of which she lost her eyes, she decided not to get married, but to shine herself to her brother and his art.