Swan Lake (Martins) - Costumes and Set Design

Costumes and Set Design

The sets were created by the Danish painter, Per Kirkeby, who “replaced opulence with a mood of impending disaster” (Cahill). In this version of Swan Lake, the sets suggest more of a painful feeling, with thorn bushes and cobwebs rather than a magical lake or a palace. Also, instead of using colors like white and silver and more serene colors, Kirkeby used more colors like blue-grays and brown and very odd color mixtures like orange and emerald and later on royal blue and scarlet. The costumes were quite bizarre as well: “courtiers dressed as seventeenth-century Velasquez figures are contrasted in orthodox outfits, of tights, leotards, and ballet skirts” (Barnes).