Fast
Facts
Name: Marc Chagall
Birth: July 7 1887
Death: March 28 1985 (97 years old)
Birthplace: Vitebsk, Belarus (then part of the
Russian Empire)
Nationality: Russian, French, Jewish
Spouses: Bella Rosenfeld; later had a son with
Virginia Haggard; remarried to Valentina Brodsky in 1952
Associated Art Movement: hard to categorize; quite
modern, on the fringes of popular art movements at the time,
including Cubism and Fauvism
Medium: mainly painting; also stained glass,
ceramic murals, sculptures, lithographs, etc.
"In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's
palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the
color of love."
Early
Life
Against his parent's wishes, Chagall decided that he wanted to
pursue his passion to be an artist. He left his hometown of Vitebsk
because he felt suffocated by his parent's unsupportiveness. He
lived in St. Petersberg, Moscow, and Paris throughout his life. He
left to live in America so he could escape the Nazis.
Style and
Influences
Chagall was inspired by:
- Belarus folklife
- Jewish and Biblical stories
- Soviet politics
- His childhood memories and fantasies
- his wife Bella
Chagall disregarded criticism and was an individualist who always went his own way. Chagall frequently did repetitions, replicas and reconstructions of his earlier paintings. He loved to do French landscapes as well as still-life paintings of flowers
Symbols in His Artwork
"If a symbol should be discovered in a painting of mine, it was not my intention. It is a result I did not seek. It is something that may be found afterwards, and which can be interpreted according to taste."
Common symbols in his work were: cows, horses and other animals, the circus and violinists. In 2008, Google commemorated the birthday of Marc Chagall by using his art as part of their logo:
Famous Works
I
and the Village
This oil painting seems to examine the relationship between the
artist and his place of birth. The significance of the painting
lies in its integration of Eastern European elements in folktale
and culture, both Russian and Yiddish. Its symbolism such as the
Tree of Life and its lighthearted style, was considered
groundbreaking at the time. Note how the painting is similar to
one's childhood imagination!
La
Mariée ("The Bride")
The bright colours of the bride and her dress put the main focus on
her. The darker background include a man who is fixing her veil,
animals playing musical instrument and a church. The medium used
here was gouache pastel.
Mosaic
Murals at the Metropolitan Opera
These murals in the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera in New York
City were created by Chagall.
Stained
Glass Windows at St. Stephan
St. Stephan Church, a Gothic church, is located in the German city
of Mainz. Chagall created nine biblical-themed choir windows in
luminous blue, between 1978-1985. He also has created stained glass
windows in the Metz Cathedral and Reims Cathedral in France, and
the synagogue of the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in
Jerusalem.
Violoniste
Bleue ("The Blue Violinist")
Note that Chagall often has his characters floating or flying in
the sky.
Photo Credits
Wikipedia
Artcyclopedia
