Marc Chagall (7 July 1887 - 28 March 1985)
"Only love interests me, and I am only in contact with things that revolve around love."
"I adore the theater and I am a painter. I think the two are made for a marriage of love. I will give all my soul to prove this once more."
"I work in whatever medium likes me at the moment."
Marc Chagall , Moishe Shagal, was a Russian-French artist. Russian – because he was born and started his career in Russia, French – because France became his home for all life. He created a unique career in virtually every artistic medium, including paintings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics, tapestries and fine art prints. Influenced by Cubism and Expressionism, influenced Surrealism, but refused to be labelled as part of any one movement.
Marc Chagall was born in a poor Jewish family in Russia. His father worked in a fish factory and his mother ran a grocery store. In Russia at that time Jewish children were not allowed to attend regular Russian schools or universities due to policies of discrimination. Their movement within the city was also restricted. Chagall therefore received his primary education at the local Jewish religious school, where he studied Hebrew and the Bible.
Chagall left Vitebsk to work and study in St. Petersburg in 1908. He spent his student days at Vitebsk and at the Petersburg Academy under Leon Bakst, who pointed out Cezanne, van Gogh and Gaugin to him.
In 1909 Chagall met Bella Rosenfeld, his love and future wife. But in 1910 with the help of his art patron, Vivaner, Chagall moved to Paris to work in the city that was the Mecca of the arts, leaving Russia and Bella behind.
Returning to Russia in 1914 he showed twenty five paintings at the official Moscow Exhibition and became friends with several great Russian poets. In 1914, before the outbreak of World War I, Chagall held a one-man show in Berlin, exhibiting work dominated by Jewish images. During the war, he resided in Russia, and in 1917, endorsing the revolution, he was appointed Commissar for Fine Arts in Vitebsk and then director of the newly established Free Academy of Art.
He married Bella in 1915 and his painting reflects his happiness from the marriage in such famous paintings as The Birthday, Double Portrait with Wine Glass, and Over the Town. He moved to Moscow in 1920 and then back to Paris in 1923 after a nine year stay in Russia. After a period of further hardship, Chagall began to receive more commissions and by 1930 his name was known worldwide.
In 1922, Chagall left Russia, settling in France one year later. He lived there permanently except for World War II, when he resided in the United States. Chagall's horror over the Nazi rise to power is expressed in works depicting Jewish martyrs and refugees. In addition to images of the Jewish world, Chagall's paintings are inspired by themes from the Bible. His fascination with the Bible culminated in a series of over 100 etchings illustrating the Bible, many of which incorporate elements from folklore and from religious life in Russia. Bella died suddenly, just before the end of the war and Chagall was overcome with grief. In 1947 Chagall returned to France and made his home in Vence.
Israel, which Chagall first visited in 1931 for the opening of the Tel Aviv Art Museum, is likewise endowed with some of Chagall's work, most notably the twelve stained glass windows at Hadassah Hospital and wall decorations at the Knesset.
In 1962 he was commissioned to create 12 stained-glass windows for the Hadassah Hospital of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem. It was a major masterpiece and he said of it, “I felt my father and my mother were looking over my shoulder, and behind them were Jews, millions of other vanished Jews of yesterday and a thousand years ago.“
In 1964 he completed a canvas that covers the ceiling of the Opera in Paris, and two very large murals now in the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. He created the American Windows in 1977 for the Chicago Art Institute. Marc Chagall died in 1985 and was buried in France at Saint-Paul.
(Source: Wikipedia, www.fantasyarts.net, www.chagallpaintings.org)
 The Violinist oil on canvas, 1911-14, 94.5x69.5cm Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf |
 The Walk oil on canvas, 1917, 170x164cm The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg |
 The White Crucifixion oil on canvas, 1938 |
 I and the Village oil on canvas |
 Le Cirque oil on canvas, 1967 |
 The Sun Over Paris oil on canvas, 92x73cm Georges Pompidou Museum, Paris |
 Couple on red background oil on canvas, 1983 |
 Les Amoureux Ink on paper |
 The Village by Night oil on canvas, 1950 |
 Rain oil on canvas, 1911, 86.7x108cm |
 Self-portrait oil on canvas |
 Le Juif Rouge oil on canvas |
 War oil on canvas, 1966 |
 Feastday oil on canvas |
 Jew at Prayer oil on canvas |
 oil on canvas |
 Adam and Eve are Banished from Paradise Lithograph, 1960 |
 Roof by Marc Chagall |
 Angel Leading Elijah Lithograph |
 Jacob's Departure For Egypt Etching, watercolours |
 The Birthday oil on canvas, 1915 |
 The America Windows Glass, 1977 Art Institute of Chicago, USA |
 Moses and the Burning Bush oil on canvas, 1960-66 |
 Le Cirque oil on canvas, 1967 |
 Feastday Gouache on paper, 1916, 32x40cm private collection |
 Newspaper Seller oil on canvas, 1914 |
 3 Windows Glass Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel |
 Windows in the Fraumunster Glass |
 Wedding oil on canvas |
 Vitrage Glass |
 The Burning Bush Etching, watercolours, 1958 |
 Small Bouquet of Lilies lithograph |
 Magic Flight lithograph |
 Mimosas lithograph, 1968 |
 Acrobat with Bird lithograph |
 The Reading lithograph |
 Le Lion s'eu allaut eu guerre (from Les Fables de la Fontaine series) etching with watercolours |
 Message Biblique 1960-1966, 237x233cm |
 L'Inspire. 1963 |
 L'ange au chandelier Lithograph in colours, 1973 |
 Le clocher d'Orgival Gouache and pastel, 1978, 80x58cm |
 Circus Rider On Horse lithograph, 1970 |
 Message Biblique lithograph |
 Village au Cheval Vert ou Vision a la Lune Noire |
 La Tour Eiffel a l'ane Lithograph in colours, 1954, 38x28cm |
 Poseidon Lithograph in colours, 38x28cm |
 Paris Through the Window oil on canvas, 1913 |
 The Wedding oil on canvas |
 Wedding oil on canvas, 1910 |
 The Jugger oil on canvas, 1943 |
 The Blue House oil on canvas, 1917 |
 The Wedding Candles oil on canvas, 1910 |
 Naomi and her daughters-in-law Lithograph, 1960 |
 Ruth Gleaning Lithograph, 1960 |
 Ruth and Boaz meet Lithograph, 1960 |
 Ruth at the feet of Boaz Lithograph, 1960 |
 Boaz wakes and sees Ruth at his feet Lithograph, 1960 |
 Reverie oil on canvas |
 Bella with a White Collar oil on canvas, 1917 |
 The Blue Lovers oil on canvas, 1914 |
 Paradise Lithograph, 1958-59 |
 Job Prays Lithograph, 1960 |
 Le Manteau De Noe Hand-coloured etching |
 L'Onction Du Roi Salomon Hand-coloured etching, 1931-56 |
 The Revolution oil on canvas, 1937, 50x100cm |
 The Soldier Drinks oil on canvas, 1911-12 The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York |
 The Magic Flute color lithograph, 1967, 99.7x64.1cm |
 Carmen color lithograph, 1966, 100.48x64.92cm |
 Good Morning Over Paris color lithograph, 1952, 52.7x40cm |
 Couple at Dusk color lithograph, 1980, 94x59.4cm |
 The Holy Family color lithograph, 1970, 65x50cm |
 Le Cantique des Cantiques color lithograph, 1975, 52x43cm |
 Bonjour Paris color lithograph, 1972, 62.7x48.3cm |
 Basket of Fruit and Pineapples color lithograph, 1964, 66.5x50cm |
 Roses and Mimosa from Nice & the Cote d'Azur color lithograph, 1967, 61x45cm |
 The Rooster Over Paris color lithograph, 1958, 59x44.5cm |
 Le Cheval Rouge (The Red Horse) color lithograph, 1954, 53.34x43.82 |
 The Acrobats color lithograph, 1984, 61x48cm |
 The Angel of Judgment color lithograph, 1974, 51.8x43.2cm |
 The Tribe of Naphtali, from The Twelve Maquettes of Stained Glass Windows for Jerusalem color lithograph, 1964, 61x46cm |
 Odyssey II – Ulysses and Euryclea color lithograph, 1975, 39.37x30.48cm |
 Aaron and the Seven-Branched Candlestick from Exodus color lithograph, 1966, 43x33.5cm |
 The Train Crossed the Red Sea from Exodus color lithograph, 1966, 47.9x33.3cm |
 Tamar Daughter-in-Law of Judah from The Bible color lithograph, 1956, 35.6x26.7cm |
 Self-Portrait with Palette oil on canvas, 1917 private collection |
 To Russia, Asses and Others oil on canvas, 1911, 157x122cm Paris, Musee national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris |
 The village color lithograph, 1977, 38x56cm |
 Bay of Nice color lithograph, 1967, 76x54cm |
 Solitude oil on canvas |
 Monsters, Chimeras and Hybrids oil on canvas |
 The Small Parlor Oil on paper mounted on fabric, 1908, 22.5x29cm Private collection, France |
 The Dead Man Oil on canvas, 1908, 68.2x87cm Musee National d'Art Modern, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris |
 View from Window. Vitebsk Gouache on cardboard, 49x36.3cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
 The Butcher (Old man) Gouache on paper, 1910, 34x24 cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
 The Sabbath Oil on canvas, 1910, 90.5x194.5cm Colon, Ludwig Museum |
 The Market Place. Vitebsk Oil on canvas |
 Russian Village Under the Moon Oil on canvas, 1911, 126x104cm Munich, Staatsgalerie Moderner Kunst, Germany |
 The Village Shop Gouache on paper, 1911, 34x24 cm Private collection, Basle, Switzerland |
 The Temptation (Adam and Eve) Oil on canvas, 1910, 160.5x114cm Saint Louis Art Museum, USA |
 The Baby's Bath Tempera on paper fixed on cardboard, 53x44cm Pskov Art and History Museum, Russia |
 The Burning House Oil on canvas, 1913, 107.2x120.5cm Solomon Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA |
 Uncle Zussi (The Barber Shop) Oil and gouache on paper, 1914, 349.3x37.2cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
 Uncle's Shop in Liozno Oil on paper fixed on cardboard, 37x49cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
 Over Vitebsk Oil, gouache, pencil and ink on paper, 1914, 31x39cm Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA |
 The Clock Oil and gouache on paper, 1914, 49x37cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
 Soldiers with Bread Watercolor and gouache on cardboard, 1914-15, 50.5x37.5cm Private collection, St.Petersburg, Russia |
 Visit to My Grandparents Watercolor, pen, ink and pencil on paper, 1915, 46.3x62.5cm Private collection, Basle, Switzerland |
 Window in the Summer Cottage. Zaolshye near Vitebsk Gouache and oil on canvas, 1915 The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia |
 Strawberries Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard, 1916, 45x59cm Private collection, Paris |
 The Cemetery Gates Oil on canvas, 1917, 87x68.5cm Musee National d'Art Modern, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris |
 Summer-House Window Tempera on paper fixed on cardboard, 1917, 46.5x61cm I.Brodsky Memorial Museum, St.Petersburg, Russia |
 Self- Portrait with Muse Oil on canvas, 1917-18, 157x140cm Private collection, St.Petersburg, Russia |
 Dance (Panel for Moscow Jewish Theatre) Tempera, gouache and kaolin on canvas, 1920, 216x81.3cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
 Drama (Panel for Moscow Jewish Theatre) Tempera, gouache and kaolin on canvas, 1920, 216x81.3cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
 Literature (Panel for Moscow Jewish Theatre) Tempera, gouache and kaolin on canvas, 1920, 216x81.3cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
 Music (Panel for Moscow Jewish Theatre)e Tempera, gouache and kaolin on canvas, 1920, 216x81.3cm The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
