Scheherezade odalisque 1910

This illustration of Scheherezade was made in 1910 by Léon Bakst, most likely using watercolor and pencil. I imagine him in his studio, bent over the paper, carefully building up the layers of color, adding details with a fine brush, and refining the contours of the figure. I love the way he combines vibrant yellows, blues, and reds to create a sense of exoticism. You can almost hear the music and smell the incense of the Arabian Nights! Look at the precise detail of the costume, the fluidity of the pose, and the sensual curve of the body. I can imagine the kind of movement he was thinking about when he made this. It relates to a wider dialogue that goes back centuries – how to represent the female form, how to create a sense of drama and spectacle, and how to transport the viewer to another world. It's a conversation that I feel part of as a painter myself.