Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes

For me this exhibition had a particular resonance as I have an interest in Russian culture and literature, having studied it for 5 years and currently being enrolled at the CityLit on one of their Russian courses. I can certainly see why the bright and innovative costumes designed by Leon Bakst were so sought after following their initial appearance in the first Ballets Russes seasons. What is perhaps most appealing for the modern audience is that these costumes still give a sense of grandeur, eroticism and the exotic even today. The bedazzling colours and the inclusion of very Art Nouveau elements transformed ballet performances from dances with sets and costumes to compliment the storyline into whole works of art whereby every element of the production plays an equally important role. The costumes are thought out down to the finest details and the exhibition even includes tiny pieces of jewellery designed for various roles that surely couldn't have been fully appreciated by the audience; this wasn't the concern of Diaghilev as he felt every part of the design ought to be considered in order to maintain his signature close integration of story, music, design and dance.

The First World War almost destroyed the Ballets Russes; having come to epitomise modern performance and pioneered an entirely new form of dance, the Ballets Russes were devastated by Diaghilev's near ruin by Bolshevik Russia. He came to reform the ballet in 1915 in order to tour North America. The designs from the war years are some of the most experimental. Here is a design for a Squid Costume made in 1916 which I found on a really useful article about the costume for the Ballets Russes on the Victorian Magazine website. It is by Natalia Goncharova and I really enjoy how structured it is. How anyone danced in it astounds me but all the same it beautifully fits how I would imagine a dancing squid. What is most pleasing is that Diaghilev brought together so many fine artists, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Natalia Goncharova, Léon Bakst, André Derain, Giorgio de Chirico and Pablo Picasso and transformed their designs on paper into designs to be lived in a breathed in on stage. 
Isn't this costume amazing? It's form is so perfectly fitting with the minimalist pattern; can't believe it's a wearable garment. This is a costume for a mourner designed by Henri Matisse in 1920 for Le Chant du Rossignol. By this time the Ballets Russes had established a few bases in which more time could be spent on productions. Monte Carlo now provided a winter base in which to create new works, while long seasons in London provided some financial stability.