The World of Marc Chagall

276 Pages·1968·52.86 MB·English

by  Izis Bidermanas

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77 World of
More Chagall
Photographed by Izis
Text and captions by Roy McMullen
"6 pages in full color
)9 reproductions of paintings and
ketches by Chagall
his book brings, in a fresh and creative new way,
1 understanding of the dazzling body of work of
arc Chagall, "the poetic maverick among the
ijor artists ofthe twentieth century." The collab-
ative efforts of Chagall, Izis, and McMullen
been brought to bear in accomplishing this,
agallhasmadeavailablemanypaintings,sketches,
s lptures, and drawings, some never published
b ore, to supplement the reproductions ofhis great
ar. works for opera, ballet, and places of worship.
He has contributed revealing portions of his own
w fingsforinclusion, andhisintimateconversations
w'th McMullen offer the reader new insights into
gall's unique conception of the artist's role as
interpreter of man's yearnings.
Izis, who first met Chagall on a photographic
as: mment in 1949, has been the painter's unob-
tri s ve "Boswell" ever since. His color and black-
anJ-white photographs, here reproduced in gravure,
as are the works ofChagall, poetically illustrate the
multiple aspects of Chagall as painter, craftsman,
dreamer, lover ofpeople, and devoted husband.
McMullen's lucid text and captions probe into the
life and mind of the artist, and clarify the rich and
often enigmatic symbolism ofthe paintings.
From the creative collaboration of artist, photog-
rapher, and writer emerges a total portrait of
Chagall the whimsical, puckish colorist who strives
to convey a fundamental message to mankind;
Chagall the Parisian and citizen of the world whose
simple origins in the Hasidic Jewish quarter of the
Russian town of Vitebsk are nostalgically reflected
in hundreds of his easel paintings, and in the great
mural and stage paintings of his later life; Chagall
the mystic who communicates the deepest feelings
of man concerning love, birth, death, the arts, and
the alienation of man from man.
The World of Marc Chagall is an intimate study,
at every level, of Chagallian creativity in progress.
To read the text, the captions, and the statements
of Chagall, and to savor the pictorial richness in
these pages, is to participate in an enlightening and
gratifying experience.
Jacket illustration: Chagall drawing a self-portrait.
DOUB & COMPANY, INC.
Garden City, New York.
w
oAUSALITO, CALIF. 94965
McMullen, Roy
q
759.7 The world of Marc Chagall. Photographed by Izm
Cha- Bidermanas. Text by Roy McMullen. Garden City, N. Y..
gall Doubleday 1968,
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267 p. lllua. (part col.) 34 cm. $25.00
At head of title: Izls.
Bibliography: p. 264.
1. Chagall, Marc 1887- I. Bidermanas, Izis,
illus. I.'Cha gall, Marc, 1887-
III. Title
LW 6/69
Library of Congress

The
World
of
Marc
Chagall
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IZ1S
Marc
The World Chagall
of
photographed
BIDERMANAS
by IZIS
Text by
ROY McMULLEN
Doubleday &
Co., Inc.
Garden City, New York
CA, JSALirO PUBLIC LIBRARY
oAUSALITO, CALIF. 94965
7tt7
C.
Aldus Editors Text Jeremy Robson Art Felix Gluck
:
General Editor: Beverly Gordey
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 68-20454
Copyright © 1968 by Aldus Books Limited,
Aldus House, Conway Street, Fitzroy Square, London, W. 1
Printed in Switzerland by Arts Graphiques Heliographia S. A., Lausanne
Bound in the Federal Republic of Germany by Hollmann K.G., Darmstadt
Contents
Preface 8
A
Chagall Chronology 13
Color and Substance 14
I
Space and Reality 30
II
The Mystical Background 48
III
IV The Painter in the Mirror 74
V Structures and Shapes 86
VI The Printmaker 102
no
VII Artist as Artisan
VIII Memories of Places 132
IX Images and Meanings 148
X Stained-glass Windows 164
XI Music, Ballet, Theater 180
XII The Paris Opera Ceiling 206
XIII The Lincoln Center Murals 238
XIV A Summing-up 260
Bibliography, notes, and index 264
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