"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” - Marc Chagall
Best known for his "I and the Village", a painting influenced by his childhood spent in rural surroundings, reflecting a dreamlike representation of goats, pastures, a farmer, a violinist, as well as simplistic images of houses, some of which are painted upside-down, Chagall, a Russian-born painter who went against the 20th century inspired art with his fanciful images of blue cows, flying lovers, biblical prophets and green-faced fiddlers on roofs, had a firm idea of who he was and what he wanted to accomplish.[1]
He had two basic reputations, writes Lewis [3]: as a pioneer of modernism and as a major Jewish artist. One of those who knew him best, Virginia Haggard McNeil, David’s mother and Chagall’s companion for seven years, characterized him as “full of contradictions—generous and guarded, naïve and shrewd, explosive and secret, humorous and sad, vulnerable and strong.”[2]
During modernism's 'Golden Age' in Paris, he synthesized the art forms of Cubism, Symbolism, and Fauvism, which in turn gave rise to Surrealism Yet, throughout all these phases of style "he remained most emphatically a Jewish artist, whose work was one long dreamy reverie of life in his native village of Vitebsk.[4] And when Matisse died, Pablo Picasso remarked that "Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is".[6]All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites.” [5]
He led a colorful life during some "colorful" historical periods. I will let his paintings speak instead of my words going through a long (and maybe dull) timeline. For this is what we are here for: to discover and appreciate one of the most prolific 20th-century artists.
His autobiography "My Life " was written in Moscow in 1921–1922, when Chagall was thirty-five years old. (I have added a link to the book on Amazon in case you are interested as it is truly a fantabulous book.)
Although long out-of-print, it remains one of the most extraordinarily inventive and beautifully told of all autobiographies. The text is accompanied by twenty plates which Chagall prepared especially to illustrate his life story. Together, the words and pictures paint an incomparable portrait of one of the greatest painters of this century, and of the now-vanished milieu that inspired him. [6] The Marc Chagall Museum House in Vitebsk was opened in 1997. Shown are some of Chagall's household items of the late 19th and 20th century as well as archival documents, some of his first works, and other personal belongings..
His American Odyssey is another chapter of his life that deserves attention and can be found @ https://jewishcurrents.org/genius-gentiles-chagalls-american-odyssey/.
Needless to say that Chagall was and remains one of my very favorite painters and his style and his mastery of colors continue to inspire me daily. Chagall produced an astounding 10,000 works during his lifetime (75 years) and his warm, human pictorial universe, full of personal metaphor, set him apart from much of 20th-century art, with its intellectual deconstruction of objects and arid abstraction. [not my words mind you - I'd never have said in such beautiful words 😉] [7] As a result, the public has generally loved his work, while the critics were often dismissive, complaining of sentimentality, repetition and the use of stock figures. But as I always say: It's all in the eye of the beholder. What I see you may not see nor feel and what you see I may not understand
Some of his works are shown here but I strongly encourage you to check out https://www.marcchagall.net/ for more.
Chagall's colorful life ended on March 28, 1985, in Saint-Paul, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
Poemes / Marc Chagall ; [Ill. De Bois Graves Par] Marc Chagall
De Bach et de Mozart J'entends leur souffle qui sonne Moi-même je deviens un son.
Until we meet again peoples of the page, have a happy week. Namaste.
[1-2] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-elusive-marc-chagall-95114921/
[3-4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Chagall
[5] https://www.marcchagall.net/quotes.jsp
[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/987670.My_Life
[7] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-elusive-marc-chagall-95114921/
Interesting read @ https://www.marcchagall.net/index.jsp
Note from author: ALL IMAGES used In this column are borrowed from https://www.marcchagall.net/index.jsp under the creative commons license of use for instructional purposes. We are using them with a CC license for non-commercial reuse without modifications of which the sole purpose is the sharing of Art. Please respect this and do not misuse them.
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