Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This delightful introduction to Bakst (1866-1924) traces his career with the Ballets Russes and his relationship with the other members of the World of Art movement. Bakst was surely a genius in the art of dramatic color for the stage; what is so beautifully represented here is the extent of his talent in other media. The illustrations, all handsomely reproduced and with a fine accompanying catalog and chronology, cover not only his setting and costume designs but a wide array of portraits, landscapes, and magazine covers. One of the finest studies of a European costume designer to have appeared recently.Sally R. Sims, Univ. of Maryland, College Park, Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

This album includes handsome reproductions of the Russian artist's work and a laudatory essay as well as a chronology (Bakst, who was born Lev Samoilovich Rosenberg in Grodno, lived from 1866-1924) featuring photographs and excerpts from letters. A prominent member of the Mir iskusst va (World of Art) Society, Bakst is probably best remembered for his theatrical designs, notably Diaghilev's Ballets Russes , extraordinary for their rich colors and imaginative patterns. Even Bakst's most opulent set and costume designs convincingly state that more is more. According to this book, it was the ballet Scheherazade that ``disclosed for the first time Bakst's full coloristic potential . . . To convey the mood generated by the music through colour, to interpret in a painterly way the emotional sensuality inherent in the musicthis was the most significant innovation to occur in theatre design for many years.'' Many of the volume's thoughtfully selected illustrations (115 in color; 85 in black and white) are culled from Soviet collections. Also included are a good number of Bakst's impressive book illustrations, paintings and portraits. If anything is missing from this artfully designed volume, it is the critical perspective that might have been provided by a more objective text. Although the book is a rewarding labor of love, more instructive and clearly presented information would have been helpful. (September) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Leon Bakst was an incomparable innovator in theatrical costume and set design. This informative volume, featuring stunning colorplates, places Bakst's beginnings as a late-nineteenth- century painter on an equal footing with his more famous design work. A member of the Russian ``World of Art'' group, Bakst made contributions to their journal that instilled greater substance and purpose in his own art. Heavily inspired by the Western European Art Nouveau movement, yet opposed to the acceptance of conservative academicism, the group's beliefs laid the foundation for the Russian arts. In 1907, travels to Greece left Bakst fascinated with the simplicity of classical perfection-- elements he forever incorporated into his designs. By 1910, he designed primarily for Diaghilev's Ballet Russe, interpreting his inspirations through severe line and brilliant coloring. The first to supervise a costume's complete progress, Bakst left influences that remain in costuming today. His later years were spent lecturing on theater, fashion, painting, and writing, his undeniable genius having made theatrical design an art. Chronology, exhibition lists, bibliography, and catalog. Index. JL.