Elisium 1906

Léon Bakst conjured Elisium with paint, crafting a world in various shades of green and blue. It looks to me like this was about the process of artmaking itself. The density of the dark greens and blues evoke a serene and dreamlike quality. Look at the way the paint almost vibrates with energy, especially where the dark, towering trees meet the lighter, ethereal figures in the center. There is a real sense of depth created by layering the colours. See how the artist uses thin washes of colour to build up the forms, like in the foreground where the figures are laying, giving it this translucent quality. Bakst worked as a stage designer, and you can see how that practice translates to this piece. The image is structured like a stage set and the figures are frozen, like actors waiting for the curtain to rise. Elisium reminds me of Odilon Redon, particularly in the way it uses colour to create atmosphere and feeling. Like Redon, Bakst invites us to step into a world that exists somewhere between waking and dreaming.