Ballet Fairy-Tale. Sketches by Dimitri Bouchène for Serge Lifar’s Productions

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu15.2020.107

Abstract

The article is dedicated to set designs and sketches for costumes, performed by Russian-French artist Dimitri Bouchène (1893–1993) for ballets choreographed by Serge Lifar. Bouchèn emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1925. In Europe he successfully worked in different styles and genres: as a painter, book illustrator and graphic artist, designer for fashion and interiors. Bouchène is known primarily as a set designer. He was the author of set designs and sketches for costumes for more than 30 productions: dramatic performances, operas, ballets, and individual dances. In the 1940s–1960s, he made stage designs for 6 ballets staged by Serge Lifar in France (Paris, Grand Opera), Sweden (Göteborg, Stora Theater) and Portugal (Lisbon, Tivoli Theater). The article is the first to summarize this material, touching on each performance and known designs for them in detail. Its aim is to identify the place and role of these works in developing the artistic manner of Bouchène and draw attention to the successfully formed creative and friendly tandem of the artist and choreographer. In the drawings made for Lifar’s ballets, the artist demonstrates a bold and broad stroke, active work of colour, inherent in his mature manner. Bouchène’s decoration designs are ornamental, full of expression and dynamics; they are distinguished by brilliance, play of saturated colour spots and temperamental manner. Creating sketches for costumes, Bouchène uses colour intensity, possibilities of various textures and the ability to combine them, accented with decorations to enhance and emphasize the characters and images.

Keywords:

scenic painting, Russian emigration, ballet, musical theater, costumes and scenery, set design, sketches, drawing

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Author Biography

Irina V. Guruleva, State Hermitage Museum

Research Officer of the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation

References

Литература

1. Bowlt, John Ellis. Russian stage design. Scenic innovation, 1900–1930. From the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Nikita D. Lobanov-Rostovsky. Mississippi: Charles Schlacks Jr Publ., 1982.

2. Robert, Claude, ed. Dimitri Bouchène. Vente Nouveau Drouot. Paris: Drouot, 1981.

3. Gadan-Pamard, Francis, et Robert Maillard, eds. Dictionnaire du ballet moderne. Paris: Fernand Hazan, 1957.

4. Толстой, Андрей, и Рене Герра, сост. Они унесли с собой Россию. Русские художники-эмигранты во Франции, 1920–1970-е. М.: Авангард, 1995.

5. Schouvaloff, Alexander. The Art of Ballets Russes. The Serge Lifar collection of Theatre Designs, Costumes and Paintings at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut. New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 1997.

6. Piguet, Bernard, ed. Collection Serge Lifar. Photographies, livres et partitions de musique, memorabilia, correspondance et manuscrits, manuscrits autographes et dessins de Jean Cocteau, dessins, aquarelles et huiles, Sales catalogue. Geneva: Hôtel des ventes, 2012.

7. Salvy, Claud. “Decorateurs de théâtre. Bouchène”. Les Nouvelles Littéraires, Juillet 21, 1960.

8. Chéronnet, Louis, et Waldemar George. “À la Academie National”. Art et Industrie 13 (1948): 32.

9. Vaillat, Léandre. La danse à l’Opera de Paris. Paris: Amiot-Dumont, 1951.

10. Burian, Karel Vladimir. The Story of World Ballet. London: Allan Wingate, 1963.

11. Beaumont, Cyril W. Ballet Design. Past and present. London: The Studio, 1946.

12. Dibben, Mary, Carol Kimball, and Patrick Choukroun. Interpreting the Songs of Jacques Leguerney. A Guide for Study and Perfomance. New York: Pendragon Press, 2001.

13. Yvain, Maurice. Ma belle opérette. Paris: Le Table Ronde, 1962.

14. Robert, Claude, ed. Dimitri Bouchène. Vente Nouveau Drouot. Paris: Drouot, 1982.

15. Robert, Claude, ed. Dimitri Bouchène. Vente Nouveau Drouot. Paris: Drouot, 1983.

16. Haskell, Arnold, and Mary Clarke, ed. The Ballet Annual. 1962. A Record and Year Book of the Ballet. London: Morrison and Gibb Ltd, 1961.

17. Lobanov, Nikita. “Dmitri Dmitrievitch Bouchène”. In Transactions of the Association of Russian-American Scholars in USA, ed. by Nadja Jernakoff, John E. Bowlt, and Thomas E. Bird, 303–5. New York: Association of Russian-American Scholars in USA, 1982, vol. 15: On Russian Art.

18. “Stora Teatern gästas nu av Parisoperans mångårige världsberömbe balettledare”. Teater Bladet, December, 1965.

19. Sönnerstedt, Bernhard. “Utställning”. Teater Bladet, December, 1965.

20. Hall, Fernau, and John Cobb. “Thirteenth Gulbenkian Festival, Lisbon”. Ballet Today, July — August (1969): 19–20.

21. Пожарская, Милица. Русское театрально-декорационное искусство конца XIX — начала ХХ века. М.: Искусство, 1970.


Источники

I. Рукописная автобиография Д. Д. Бушена. Сектор рисунков отдела западноевропейского изобразительного искусства Государственного Эрмитажа.

II. Serfe Lifar Gala. Teaterpogram. Göteborg: Gothenburg Ballet, 1965.


References

1. Bowlt, John Ellis. Russian stage design. Scenic innovation, 1900–1930. From the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Nikita D. Lobanov-Rostovsky. Mississippi: Charles Schlacks Jr Publ., 1982.

2. Robert, Claude, ed. Dimitri Bouchène. Vente Nouveau Drouot. Paris: Drouot, 1981.

3. Gadan-Pamard, Francis, et Robert Maillard, eds. Dictionnaire du ballet moderne. Paris: Fernand Hazan, 1957.

4. Tolstoi, Andrei, and René Guerra, comp. They Took Russia with Them. Russian Emigrant Artists in France. 1920s — 1970s. Moscow: Avangard Publ., 1995. (In Russian)

5. Schouvaloff, Alexander. The Art of Ballets Russes. The Serge Lifar collection of Theatre Designs, Costumes and Paintings at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut. New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 1997.

6. Piguet, Bernard, ed. Collection Serge Lifar. Photographies, livres et partitions de musique, memorabilia, correspondance et manuscrits, manuscrits autographes et dessins de Jean Cocteau, dessins, aquarelles et huiles, Sales catalogue. Geneva: Hôtel des ventes, 2012.

7. Salvy, Claud. “Decorateurs de théâtre. Bouchène”. Les Nouvelles Littéraires, Juillet 21, 1960.

8. Chéronnet, Louis, et Waldemar George. “À la Academie National”. Art et Industrie 13 (1948): 32.

9. Vaillat, Léandre. La danse à l’Opera de Paris. Paris: Amiot-Dumont, 1951.

10. Burian, Karel Vladimir. The Story of World Ballet. London: Allan Wingate, 1963.

11. Beaumont, Cyril W. Ballet Design. Past and present. London: The Studio, 1946.

12. Dibben, Mary, Carol Kimball, and Patrick Choukroun. Interpreting the Songs of Jacques Leguerney. A Guide for Study and Perfomance. New York: Pendragon Press, 2001.

13. Yvain, Maurice. Ma belle opérette. Paris: Le Table Ronde, 1962.

14. Robert, Claude, ed. Dimitri Bouchène. Vente Nouveau Drouot. Paris: Drouot, 1982.

15. Robert, Claude, ed. Dimitri Bouchène. Vente Nouveau Drouot. Paris: Drouot, 1983.

16. Haskell, Arnold, and Mary Clarke, ed. The Ballet Annual. 1962. A Record and Year Book of the Ballet. London: Morrison and Gibb Ltd, 1961.

17. Lobanov, Nikita. “Dmitri Dmitrievitch Bouchène”. In Transactions of the Association of Russian-American Scholars in USA, ed. by Nadja Jernakoff, John E. Bowlt, and Thomas E. Bird, 303–5. New York: Association of Russian-American Scholars in USA, 1982, vol. 15: On Russian Art.

18. “Stora Teatern gästas nu av Parisoperans mångårige världsberömbe balettledare”. Teater Bladet, December, 1965.

19. Sönnerstedt, Bernhard. “Utställning”. Teater Bladet, December, 1965.

20. Hall, Fernau, and John Cobb. “Thirteenth Gulbenkian Festival, Lisbon”. Ballet Today, July — August (1969): 19–20.

21. Pozharskaia, Militsa. Russian Stage Design of the Late 19th — Early 20th century. Moscow: Iskusstvo Publ., 1970. (In Russian)


Sources

I. Handwritten autobiography of D. Bouchène. Drawings Sector. The Department of Western European Fine Art. The State Hermitage Museum. (In Russian)

II. Serfe Lifar Gala. Teaterpogram. Göteborg: Gothenburg Ballet, 1965.

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Published

2020-03-20

How to Cite

Guruleva, I. V. . (2020). Ballet Fairy-Tale. Sketches by Dimitri Bouchène for Serge Lifar’s Productions. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Arts, 10(1), 132–151. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu15.2020.107

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2020)

Section

Visual arts

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Arts" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.