"The Сarnival" - Estrella 1910

Editor: So, this is Léon Bakst's "The Carnival - Estrella," a watercolor and pencil drawing from 1910. There's such a dreamlike quality to the figure, almost like a fleeting vision. How do you interpret this work, particularly given the context of its time? Curator: Well, let's consider Bakst's role in the Ballets Russes. Costume design wasn't just decoration; it was deeply intertwined with exploring themes of identity, performance, and even cultural disruption. The masked figure could be interpreted as a comment on concealing oneself in society, especially women restricted by Edwardian norms. Editor: That’s fascinating. So the mask isn’t just about carnival revelry, but maybe something deeper? The dress seems deliberately performative, right? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the layering, the deliberate textures in the watercolour... Doesn't it evoke the restrictive layering that veiled so many facets of a woman’s lived experience at the time? The Art Nouveau style often presented the female form as both idealized and bound by societal expectations. What's your perspective on the colour palette? Editor: The blues and whites seem both vibrant and delicate. There is something to it—the colors are both dreamy and a little unsettling, almost as if pointing out the conflict in the representation itself. It also makes the piece quite powerful despite its medium and small details. Curator: Precisely! And the figure holds something in her hands—perhaps a note, perhaps an invitation? This is where symbolism and lived experience collide. This isn’t just a painting; it’s a document speaking to the social and personal negotiations women performed every single day. Editor: I never thought about costume design as a form of activism but that lens makes this drawing so much more interesting. Curator: Indeed. Bakst provides us with an image but leaves space for us to ask: Who is she behind the mask, really?