Marc Chagall

Among the most eminent of the 20th century modern artists, Marc Chagall stands out as a romantic genius. Even Picasso, who had little regard for Chagall’s capricious nature, once commented after the death of Matisse, “There is only one great colorist left and it is Marc Chagall.”

Though Chagall is classified with the School of Paris more than any other great modernist, he never joined a movement, nor can he be ascribed to any particular “ism”. Indeed, Chagall stands out as one of the most original artists of his age. Overall, Chagall’s gem like primary and secondary colors, combined with a natural tendresse, convey a fairy tale or fable-like quality.

Using a rich repertory of images often remembered from village life in his native Russia, he was able to construct a mythological world of dreamlike unreality. The pictorial symbols he created both enchant and captivate the viewer’s imagination, while completely avoiding anecdote. His heartfelt recollections of village life, presented in unnatural juxtapositions and magical color, imbue the works with an air of yearning, nostalgia and childlike wonderment.

Chagall was a romantic, and his flying figures will forever embody his ideals about love.

No artist is as famous for color lithography as Chagall – an art form he elevated to the highest level of aesthetic achievement. Working in tandem with the great atelier of Paris, the Mourlot Studio, Chagall created graphics that have become as prized by connoisseurs and museums as his paintings. Today, Chagall’s graphic collections stand as one of the greatest bodies of fine print-making in the history of art.