The Essential Marc Chagall

120 Pages·2002·16.171 MB·English

by  Howard Greenfield

**!££*»
Marc
Chagall
BY HOWARD GREENFELD
U.S.A. $12.95
Canada$19.95
THE ESSENTIAL™ MARC CHAGALL
by Howard Greenfeld
The young Marc Chagall defied family
tradition by leaving the provincial Russian
city in which he lived with his parents to
become one ofthe most beloved artists of
the 20th century. His travels took him to
St. Petersburg, Berlin, Paris (which became
his home), and NewYork.
Discover in the magical world ofMarc
Chagall:
a green-faced fiddlerwho plays his tunes
while standing on the rooftops ofa
Russian village
a circus performer tenderly embracing a
smiling, richly colored gigantic rooster
who is carrying her on his back
ecstatic lovers floating blissfully through
the air
biblical kings, red donkeys, and
purple-clad angels
66 illustrations, including51platesinfullcolor
m*mi *

^SSEW
Marc
Chagall
BY HOWARD GREENFELD
the Wonderland
press
HarryN. Abrams, Inc., Publishers
the Wonderland
PRESS
The Essential™isatrademark
ofTheWonderlandPress,NewYork
The Essential™ serieshasbeencreatedbyTheWonderlandPress
SeriesProducer:JohnCampbell
Series Editor:HarrietWhelchel
ProjectManager:AdrienneMoucheraud
SeriesDesign:TheWonderlandPress
LibraryofCongressCardNumber:00-105484
ISBN0-8109-5815-5
Copyright©2002TheWonderlandPress
©2001 Artists Rights Society(ARS),NewYork/ADAGP,Paris
Publishedin2002byHarryN.Abrams,Incorporated,NewYork
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthecontentsofthisbookmay
bereproducedwithoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublisher
Ontheendpapers:DetailofTheBurningBouquet, 1970
CollectionChagall,St.PauldeVence,France
NY
Scala/ArtResource,
Unlessotherwiseindicated,allworksareoiloncanvas
Printedin HongKong
HI
jflgM HarryN.Abrams,Inc.
00FifthAvenue
NewYork,NY10011
www.abramsbooks.com
Abrams is a subsidiaryof
v PhotographCredits:
LA MACRTR1O.NUIPKREF Scala/ArtResource,NY:4,45,49,55,56,65,82,84,85,87,88,108,111;ErichLessing/Art
Resource,NY:13,18,62,86,104;Giraudon/ArtResource,NY:42;ArtResource,NY:44,57
72,73,87,95,99,101,102,105
Contents
Fiddlers and lovers 5
To avillage born 7
A
budding artist 11
Spreading his wings 14
Svantsevarocks! 21
Beautiful Bella 24
Paris here we come 30
Vive le village 36
Poetpals 38
Offto Germanyand Russia 50
Weddingbells 57
Artpowerto the people 63
A move to Moscow 68
Back to Paris 74
Etching a newdirection 77
Dazzlingwindows 83
Hitler hovers 84
From America to France 97
Creative fever 103
pro
,.
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^i»v
Fiddling on the roof
What do friendly roosters, frisky circus performers, lovers leaping OPPOSITE
through the air, and fiddlers on rooftops have in common?They're all FlowersonRed
Background
part ofthe deliriouslyjoyful world ofMarc Chagall (1887-1985), the 1970
creative genius whose colorfulworks changed the course ofpop culture
and art historyin the 20t*1 century.
Chagalllovedto paintand drawfrom the time hewas aboy Butin the
small Russian town ofVitebskwhere he grew up, there was no one to
teach him. Hehadtoleavehishome andfamilyto followhis dreams,
—
yetwherever he went to the big cities ofRussia, to Paris, NewYork,
—
and Mexico City Vitebsk and the people who lived there stayed in
his mind, and in his art, through images of:
men andwomen dancing on rooftops;
horses and carriages leaping over trees;
donkeys who wear red coats and violinists with green faces;
brides andpairs oflovers andvillage characters anddazzlingflowers.
The two majorinfluences on Chagallthatare keytounderstandinghis
work are:
his origins as ayoungJewbornin a small Russiantown,where life
in theJewish communitywas deeply rooted in religion;
his life andartin Paris,where he arrived in 1910, where he met the
major painters and poets ofthe early modern period, andwhere he
lived formanyyears later in his life.
From these two primary sources, Chagall developed a romantic and
enchantingly naive expression based on themes from Eastern
European village life and Russian andJewish folklore.The range and
volume of Chagall's work are tremendous. Much of it is associated
withliterature,includinghis manyillustrationsforthe Bible,theFables
ofthe FrenchpoetJeandeLaFontaine (1621-1695), andDeadSouls,
bythe Russian novelistNikolai Gogol (1809-1852). He designed the
acclaimed sets and costumes for Stravinsky's ballet Firebird, painted
two vast murals for the Metropolitan Opera House in NewYork, and
created 12 stained-glass windows representing theTribes ofIsrael for
the Hadassah-HebrewUniversityMedical Center inJerusalem.Then
there are his paintings.
Ifyou don't know Chagall's work, perhaps you're wondering why it is
considered great, or how Chagall has affected millions of people in
countries aroundtheworld. Keep reading.You'llbe amazedbyhis story.