Dress Fabric
INV-1188Modernismprinted textileweaving - printed
Date
Designed 1922; produced 1924
Medium
Silk, twill weave; screenprinted
Dimensions
140 × 100.3 cm (55 1/8 × 39 1/2 in.); Repeat: 26.4 × 51.2 cm (10 3/8 × 20 1/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Robert Allerton
The Russian artist Léon Bakst was deeply influenced by the brilliant colors, simple outlines, and straightforward techniques used by Russian folk artists; which inspired the stage and costume designs Bakst created for The Ballet Russes performances in Paris in 1909-10 and Vienna in 1912-13.
This screen printed silk panel relates closely to designs Bakst devised as part of his only American commission, the 1922-23 conversion of the bowling alley of a private residence into a theater. Among Bakst's fanciful motifs were colorful patterns applied to the theater's walls. He was in the United States that year for an exhibition of his work in New York and Chicago, where he also lectured on textiles and costumes. Upon his return to Paris, Bakst apparently decided to reuse the theater motifs on lightweight silk fabrics intended for clothing. The Art Institute's panel, one of these patterns, presents an engaging melange of Russian folk-art motifs and Art Deco patterns.
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