Sergei Diaghilev, Ballet Russes and 19th Century Art Essay

Sergei Diaghilev, Ballet Russes and 19th Century Art - Essay Example However, prominent artists from other European countries also received positive reception among mainstream audiences. For instance, Sergei Diaghilev, a Russian impresario, was one of the artists that influenced 19th century European art through his ballet company, Ballet Russes. The performances of Ballet Russes with Diaghilev helped shape 19th century art forms including music, ballet, and costume design. With the Ballet Russes, Diaghilev advances European art, music, and theater bringing to the international scene. Accordingly, this paper aims to discuss the life and works of Diaghilev as a major influence in the development of 19th century art, particularly through the Ballet Russes. Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes Sergei Diaghilev revived the Russian ballet dance with his Ballet Russes, and he established the repute of Russian Ballet worldwide with the said troupe. With the Ballet Russes, Diaghilev was able to drive artistic transformations in Russian ballet, particularly from changing the traditional dance steps and setups to modern ones. Diaghilev was born in St. Petersburg and spent his childhood there while taking academic and art classes in St. Petersburg University. Much of the influences of Diaghilev’s works take shape from his childhood experiences, particularly through his inclination to performing arts as a youth.... The first members of the troupe were professional dancers trained in the Tsar’s Imperial Ballet. With the Ballet Russes, Diaghilev was able to gather prominent choreographers during those times, including Vaslav Nijinsky, Fokine, Massine, and Joan Miro (Bloom paras. 1-7). Aside from associating with choreographers, Diaghilev also collaborated with world renowned musicians, such as Strauss, Schumann, Stravinsky, Milhaud, and Ravel, in creating the musical pieces for the Ballet Russes (Gottlieb para. 2). In the visual arts and costume design, the Ballet Russes also receives support from popular artists including Picasso, Rouault, and Derain. Seeing the performances of Ballet Russes, both Russian and French nobles took passion in supporting the efforts of Diaghilev in promoting the troupe to both local and international mainstream audiences. Impact on 19th Century Art Visual Diaghilev’s credit in the visual arts comes from his efforts at collaborating with painters, interi or designers, and other visual art enthusiast to develop and create artworks. He sought the service of well-known artists, and collaborated with them in designing the stage and costumes for the Ballet Russes. Specifically, famous visual artists such as Picasso and Derain took part in creating the stage set-up, costumes, visual materials, and posters of Ballet Russes’ performances. According to Lille, Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes allows artists from different art trends, such as Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism to show their works (para. 2). Consequently, the performances of Ballet Russes serve as an exhibit featuring the works of various artists including painters, composers and choreographers. For instance, in