Alexander Nikolaevich Benois

Watercolor, ink, graphite and gouache on paper. The sheet is sound, though slightly yellowed and dirty. There are some smudges and stains, particularly to the corners, as well as very minor pinholes to each corner. Under UV the work appears untouched. Held in a modern wood frame and under glass. Unexamined out of frame.
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The majority of the productions Alexandre Benois designed in the last two decades of his life were staged at Milan's La Scala, where his son Nikolai was head of production. Benois' retrospective, historically detailed with vivid style perfectly suited the company's traditional staging approach. In this design for the third act of Verdi's Falstaff, he eruditely but unobtrusively interprets late medieval interior and dress to create a stage environment that will highlight the singers, rather than distracting attention from them. The artist, in turn, appreciated having greater input into the implementation of his designs and even the staging of productions thanks to his son's involvement. Here we can see him setting up a key scene and not just creating a backdrop. The rascal Falstaff is just being hidden in the laundry basket at the center of the stage, while his fiery pursuers burst through the doors evidently ready to wreak vengeance.