Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is by many standards one of the most successful artists of the twentieth century. He was raised in a poor Jewish family in the village of Vitebsk in old Russia. He forged a unique career in many artistic mediums. From his early Cubist paintings to his book illustrations, stage sets, ceramics, stained glass windows, tapestries, and fine art prints, Chagall’s haunting, powerful yet poetic images have enjoyed universal appeal.

Early Works include portraits of himself and his fiancee Bella, and scenes of Jewish community life in Vitesbk.

Dedicated to my Fiance(1911) - Oil on Canvas

I and the Village(1911) - Oil on Canvas

Later Works included scenes of Paris, musicians, and windows

Paris through the Window(1913) - Oil on Canvas The Poet (Half Past Three)

(1911) - Oil on Canvas

Student Examples

Student Examples

Symbols used often in Chagall’s works of art

Symbols:

Cow:

Tree:

Rooster:

Fiddler:

Herring:

Horses:

Pendulum Clock:

Candlestick:

Windows:

Houses of Vitebsk:

Scenes of the Circus:

The Eiffel Tower:

Something that stands for or represents something else, especially an object representing an abstraction

Milk, Meat, Leather, Horn, Power for land

Life and Growth

In Vitebsk the Fiddler played music at cross-points of life, (births, weddings, deaths, celebrations)

Chagall’s father worked in a fish factory

Fertility

Freedom, Riding, Power for farming tools, and carrying loads

Time, modest life style

Two candles symbolize the Menorah

Chagall’s love of freedom

Often in paintings from Paris, feelings for his homeland

Harmony of Man and Animal, which induces Creativity in Man

Freedom, Up in the Sky, Exploring the New