Léon Bakst

The oil on canvas portrait, Léon Bakst, was executed by Amedeo Modigliani in 1917. This work exemplifies the mature style of the Italian artist during the latter half of the 1901 to 1925 period, when he produced some of his most definitive contributions to modern portraiture in Paris. The subject, Léon Bakst (1866-1924), was a globally renowned Russian painter and stage designer, known internationally for his visually revolutionary work with the Ballets Russes.

Modigliani renders Bakst with characteristic stylistic elongation and deliberate simplification of form. The figure is posed frontally, occupying the majority of the canvas space and lending the composition a sense of immediate presence. Unlike some of his earlier efforts, this piece isolates the sitter against an unadorned, shallow background that prevents the eye from wandering. Modigliani employs a restricted, earthy palette dominated by ochre, deep red, and dark brown tones, which emphasizes the sculptural, architectonic structure of the subject’s face and shoulders. The application of oil paint is controlled and refined, favoring smooth planes over heavily impastoed surfaces, allowing the focus to remain purely on the psychological resonance of the portrait and the stark outline of the silhouette.

The creation of this painting reflects the vibrant, intersecting creative communities of wartime Paris, where Modigliani frequently painted his avant-garde contemporaries. This work is significant not only as a record of a major figure in European modernism but also as a definitive example of Modigliani’s absorption of African sculpture and Classical Italian influences into his distinct modern language. This distinguished painting currently resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. While the original work is a unique artifact, high-quality prints featuring this pivotal painting are often readily available via public domain resources, allowing broader access to the artist’s oeuvre.