Nymph Costume Design for the ballet in one act Narcisse Diaghilev (Subtitle) 1911

This is Léon Bakst’s costume design for the ballet Narcisse, and it’s all about the swirl of green. The way he works the watercolor feels so intuitive, like he’s letting the colors bleed and blend, embracing the kind of happy accidents that come with the process. Check out how the costume merges with the nymph and the forest—it's kind of hard to tell where the clothing ends and the set begins, right? Look at that leafy cascade behind her, dotted with teal splotches. It's got this real sense of texture, even though it's just watercolor. All those greens give you this sense of lushness, almost like you could reach out and touch it. Now, peep the tendrils of green ink creeping up her leg like a tattoo—I wonder if that’s about blurring the line between her body and the natural world she inhabits? Bakst reminds me a bit of Erté, all that flamboyant, theatrical flair. You get the sense that art is just one big conversation, everyone riffing off each other, playing with ideas, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.