Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall Biography

The artist Marc Chagall was born in Vitebsk, nowadays in Belarus, in 1887 from a Jewish family. The artist, originally named Moyshe Segal, was a Russian painter naturalized French.

The artist Chagall is known for his distinctive style and his role in revolutionize the art of the Jewish tradition. He boasts a large production of paintings, drawings, sculptures, book illustrations, stained glass, engravings, sets and costumes for ballets, plays and mosaics.

Chagall artist lived as a "wandering Jew", a figure often found within his works. His life and his works are characterized by the continuous movements, from Russia to Paris and New York, and then back to France.

In Marc Chagall artworks, traditions and cultures of France, Russia and the native Jewish culture are melted together. A typical Marc Chagall painting tells of the escapes, of the rediscovery of his own roots, of the difficulties faced, of the love for his beloved and of his dreams. His works will make immortal the phases of his life projected in a magical universe of poetry and spirituality.

Chagall died in 1985 in his studio in Saint Paul de Vence, where he was buried in the local graveyard and his tomb overlooks the Mediterranean Sea.

Marc Chagall: artwork and style

Marc Chagall artwork and style have often been described as a hybrid of Cubism, Fauvism and Symbolism, and the supernatural subjects, protagonists of his works, are strongly influenced by Surrealism.

The subjects painted seem absorbed in a dream and are deeply rooted in the biography of the artist as well as in the traditions and customs of Eastern Europe.

Despite his active engagement in the Parisian art community, Chagall art was first and foremost a personal expression. He preferred to always be considered separately from other artists, and his image and allegory were to belong to him alone.

Chagall's source of inspiration, Bella Rosenfeld was his first love, as well as his wife and muse. Bella is the protagonist of many of Marc Chagall paintings. Daughter of a Jewish jeweler in St. Petersburg, she met the artist Chagall in the early years of the twentieth century, but she was too young to marry him. They finally married in 1915.

A series of works dedicated to his first wife Bella present the theme of the flying lovers. The theme is understood as a feeling that envelops the two souls and that brings them up, where nothing and no one can reach them.

The theme, also taken up in other works of the artist Chagall like in The Wedding, represents the achievement of the deepest spirituality.

Chagall - The Birthday

Chagall The Birthday artwork was made in 1915. The work consists of the representation of his beloved inside a domestic context. The male figure in the work is peculiar: the lover is suspended in a magical and unreal flight. The male stretches out with an unnatural pose to reach the face of his beloved, surrounding her with a kiss.

Relevant is the use of color in the work since it is full of symbolic value. For example, the floor in the work is red, which is the symbol par excellence of love, a feeling which is at the base of the painting.

Chagall - The Walk

The work by Chagall, The Walk, made in 1917, pays tribute to his beloved wife Bella. The beloved is held by the hand of his partner, and she is joined in a fantastic flight, as if it were a kite.

Once again, the color used for the tablecloth, lying next to the man, is red. Above it, it is placed a bottle of wine with a glass, which both evoke the atmosphere of an impressionist picnic.

The work is a manifesto of Chagall's happiness for his marriage with his wife Bella.

Marc Chagall: color and magic

For the artist Chagall, color is the tool through which he could express himself and give life to his emotions and his state of mind, which is out of reality.

Passionate about color, he did not limit himself to making only paintings. Chagall stained-glass and Chagall windows are placed in different corners of the world such as France, Jerusalem, and New York. Right in New York, Marc Chagall stained glass named Peace was presented in 1964, and it is one of his most famous stained-glass windows located inside the United Nations building.

Chagall stained-glass windows have been considered the most prestigious works of Chagall's creativity thanks to his mastery and ability to create bright colors.

In Marc Chagall paintings, we found how the artist manage to communicate happiness and optimism thanks to the bright colors he uses.

"In our lives there is only one color that gives meaning to art and life itself. The color of love." - March Chagall

Marc Chagall - beyond the paintings

Marc Chagall “My Life” (original title “Mein Leben”) is an autobiography written in 1921 during his time in Moscow. The book is illustrated by fifty drawings and prints done by the artist.

The biography, optimistic and at the same time mystical, contains the most important moments of the first part of Chagall's life. From his childhood to life in Vitebsk, through his studies in St. Petersburg and his first works in Paris, and then facing the return to his homeland and the First World War.

In 1930 Ambroise Vollard commissioned to Chagall Bible etchings, which are a collection of illustrated engravings of the religious text. The commission allowed the artist Chagall to stay longer in Palestine to discover the land of his ancestors and the essence of his faith. The series incorporates many elements of the Jewish tradition and from Chagall's religious life in his hometown of Vitebsk.

Chagall: works for sale with prices and value on Deodato Arte

For those interested in Marc Chagall prices, Deodato Arte offers a selection of the artist's works for sale online.

If you are interested in knowing Chagall price, value or which works will be on display at the Deodato Arte Contemporary Art Gallery, do not hesitate to contact us by sending an e-mail to [email protected].