Nijinsky - Tumblr Posts

still one of my favorite things I’ve drawn in my entire life

The year is 1894. You are in Paris. In this december evening you are getting ready to go hear "Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune" for the first time. 18 years later you are sitting in Théâtre du Châtelet to see Ballets Russes premier this piece made into a short ballet. It's different. It rejects classical formality. It is also breathtakingly erotic and sensual. It ends with what appears to be the faun, Vaslav Nijinsky, masturbating. You know this will lead to controversy, for the audience is booing and the critics are obviously not content. But you are certain, that Nijinsky has just made history, and you're a part of it. You stand up to cheer.

Ravel - Lever du jour

Daphis et Chloe, 1912