Sergei Diaghilev in Spain: New Themes, Images, Ballets

Abstract

Spain was a prominent destination on tours of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Numerous visits to this country, spanning the period from the mid-1910s to the mid-1920s, enriched Diaghilev's artistic horizons with new themes and images that resulted in the ballets: «Las Meninas», «The three-cornered hat», «Cuadro Flamenco». The history of the creation and staging of each ballet possesses its own characteristics; in each case, a unique artistic world is conceived, expressed in a modern language, and distinguished by its many facets and complex symbolism. In order to implement his new ideas, Diaghilev appealed to the leading artists of his time, namely Pablo Picasso, Josep Maria Sert, Leonid Myasin, Manuel de Falla, thanks to whose participation a holistic concept of each work arose, based on the unity of musical, plastic, and decorative ideas. The «Spanish» ballets were created during the transition period from naturalistic theatre, dominated by a coherent plot logic and a psychological representation of the characters, to conventional theatrical methods. The character and role of the artistic image change, acquiring widespread symbolic features. Stylization and conventionality become the main techniques when it comes to erecting a new theatrical model. A new image of the Spanish world is formed, breaking ties with the heritage of the romantic era and resorting to cultural archetypes. The ideas of Diaghilev's ballet fit organically into the mainstream of modernist experiments.