Utrillo 85

Author: DeAgostini Publishing Company (UK)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: Diaghilev was one of the key figures in European art circles in the 20th century. Born in Perm, on the western slope of the Ural Mountains in Russia in 1872, he studied law in St. Petersburg and met the painter and stage designer Alexandre Bonnard and René Bouché. He began associating with groups of musicians, painters, and writers centered around him. From then on, he abandoned his studies and turned to the arts. He was a co-founder of the avant-garde art magazine "The World of Art" in 1899 and was appointed artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre the same year. Diaghilev's stage designs were often unconventional. The ballet "The Rite of Spring," composed by Stanislavsky and choreographed by Nijinsky, premiered in Paris in 1913, causing a sensation. The Russian Ballet not only influenced the composition of ballets but also the overall design of theaters. The artists he collaborated with are countless, and each is a name of the 20th century. Picasso, Derain, Braque, Gris, Matisse, Ernst, Miró, Chirico, and Lou?s were among the many artists who worked with him, designing costumes and stage sets for various ballets, including "Barabau," adapted from an Italian folk song. The story tells of a farmer who fakes his death to deceive soldiers coming to raid his village. This play is a farce that humorously depicts the farmer's joyful expression after successfully outwitting the tricksters.