Nicholas Roerich
Set design for The Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor 1909

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London
© V & A Picture Library.

Roerich experimented with dark moody tones in his backdrop for The Polovtsian Dances, a balletic interlude in Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor. The artist borrowed Central Asian ikat patterns for his designs, and his use of hot, earthen colours presented a new view of Eastern culture. This was a world away from the rich, ornate and luxurious Orient presented by Léon Bakst.