The Rite of Spring
1917
Léon Bakst’s design for a 1917 production of *The Rite of Spring* creates a dizzying sense of depth with its dramatic, radiating perspective. Rows of stylized, green-faced figures march along rust-red lines, looking like a hypnotic tribal procession disappearing into the distance. To the left, dark blue, organic shapes—reminiscent of Art Nouveau's love for nature—frame the scene and contrast sharply with the rigid geometry of the right. Bakst, a star designer for the Ballets Russes, captures the primal energy of Stravinsky’s score—which famously caused a riot at its 1913 premiere—through this bold, graphic composition.
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