Odalisque in ‘Schéhérazade’ 1910 - 1916

Léon Bakst dreamed up this odalisque for ‘Schéhérazade’ with watercolor and pencil on paper. Look at how the forms emerge tentatively out of the ground, Bakst seems to work into the figure, discovering the dancer as he goes. The material qualities of the artwork are really lovely. The paper has a warm tone, and the watercolor sits delicately on the surface. The figure is built up with lots of small marks, especially noticeable in the orange pantaloons where crescent shapes make a pattern. These marks are not precise but they're suggestive, like how the memory of a pattern might work. Bakst’s work reminds me of Erté’s illustrations. But, unlike Erté’s flat decorative shapes, Bakst makes use of the transparency of watercolor. There’s a sense of depth and movement, even though it is a drawing. For me, this embodies what art is about: a conversation of ideas across time.