Costume design for the opera by Rimsky-Korsakov's "Golden Cockerel ' 1931

Martiros Sarian made this costume design for Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera "The Golden Cockerel", and the way he uses watercolor really grabs me, the simple washes of color are so suggestive. He gets the job done with just enough detail, leaving space for our imaginations to fill in the blanks. It's like he's saying, "Here's the basic idea, now you run with it!" Look at the figure on the left, the way the red stripes curve around his form give him a real sense of weight and presence. I think it's so clever how Sarian used these simple linear forms to create depth and movement. The dog-headed figure on the right has this cool, almost Egyptian feel. His costume is made of layered panels of tan and the black detailing creates a sense of depth and shadow. Sarian's work reminds me a bit of Picasso’s for the Ballets Russes. Both artists seem to understand that costume design isn’t just about making something pretty; it’s about creating a whole world for the audience to get lost in.