Mark Zakharovich (Moses Khatskelevich) Chagall (fr. Marc Chagall, Yiddish מאַרק שאַגאַל; July 7, 1887, Vitebsk, Vitebsk province, Russian Empire (present-day Vitebsk region, Belarus) - March 28, 1985, Saint-Pol- de Vence , Provence, France) - Russian and French artist of Belarusian-Jewish origin. In addition to graphics and painting, he was also engaged in scenography, wrote poetry in Yiddish. One of the most famous representatives of the artistic avant-garde of the 20th century.
Movsha Khatskelevich (later Moses Khatskelevich and Mark Zakharovich) Chagall was born on June 24 (July 6), 1887 in the Peskovatik area on the outskirts of Vitebsk, was the eldest child in the family of the clerk Khatskel Mordukhovich (Davidovich) Chagall (1863-1921) and his wife Feiga-Ita Mendelevna Chernina (1871-1915). He had one brother and five sisters. The parents married in 1886 and were cousins to each other. The artist’s grandfather, Dovid Eselevich Shagal (dovid-Mordukh Ioselevich Sagal, 1824-?), came from the town of Babinovichi, Mogilev province, and in 1883 he settled with his sons in the town of Dobromysl, Orsha district, Mogilev province, so that in the “Lists of real estate owners property of the city of Vitebsk" the father of the artist Khatskel Mordukhovich Chagall is recorded as a "dobromyslyansky tradesman"; the artist's mother came from Liozno. Since 1890, the Shagal family owned a wooden house on Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street in the 3rd part of Vitebsk (significantly expanded and rebuilt in 1902 with eight apartments for rent). Marc Chagall also spent a significant part of his childhood in the house of his maternal grandfather Mendel Chernin and his wife Basheva (1844-?, the artist's grandmother on his father's side), who by that time lived in the town of Liozno, 40 km from Vitebsk.
He received a traditional Jewish education at home, having studied the Hebrew language, the Torah and the Talmud. From 1898 to 1905, Chagall studied at the 1st Vitebsk four-year school. In 1906 he studied fine arts at the art school of the Vitebsk painter Yudel Pen, then moved to St. Petersburg.
From the book of Marc Chagall "My Life": "Having captured twenty-seven rubles - the only money in my life that my father gave me for art education - I, a ruddy and curly youth, go to St. Petersburg with a friend. It's decided! Tears and pride choked me, when I picked up money from the floor, my father threw it under the table. He crawled and picked it up. To my father's questions, I stuttered and answered that I wanted to enter an art school ... What kind of mine he cut and what he said, I don’t remember exactly. Most likely, at first he said nothing, then, as usual, warmed up the samovar, poured himself some tea, and only then, with his mouth full, said: "Well, go if you want. But remember: I don't have any more money. "I can scrape together. I won't send anything. You don't have to count."
In St. Petersburg, for two seasons, Chagall studied at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, which was headed by N. K. Roerich (he was admitted to the school without an exam for the third year). In 1909-1911 he continued his studies with L. S. Bakst at the private art school of E. N. Zvantseva. Thanks to his Vitebsk friend Viktor Mekler and Thea Brahman, the daughter of a Vitebsk doctor who also studied in St. Petersburg, Marc Chagall entered the circle of young intellectuals who were passionate about art and poetry. Thea Brahman was an educated and modern girl, several times she posed nude for Chagall. In the autumn of 1909, during her stay in Vitebsk, Teya introduced Marc Chagall to her friend Berta (Bella) Rosenfeld, who at that time was studying at one of the best educational institutions for girls - the Guerrier school in Moscow. This meeting was decisive in the fate of the artist. “With her, not with Thea, but with her I should be - it suddenly illuminates me! She is silent, and so am I. She looks - oh, her eyes! - Me too. As if we have known each other for a long time, and she knows everything about me: my childhood, my current life, and what will happen to me; as if she was always watching me, was somewhere nearby, although I saw her for the first time. And I realized: this is my wife. Eyes shining on a pale face. Big, bulging, black! These are my eyes, my soul. Thea instantly became a stranger and indifferent to me. I entered a new house, and it became mine forever” (Marc Chagall, “My Life”). The love theme in the work of Chagall is invariably associated with the image of Bella. From the canvases of all periods of his work, including the latest (after Bella's death), her "bulging black eyes" look at us. Her features are recognizable in the faces of almost all the women depicted by him.
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July 7, 1887 in Vitebsk within the boundaries of settled life, which were determined yet Catherine II for the compact residence of Jews, was born Marc Chagall. Art critics involved in the work of Chagall call him an avant-garde artist - during his long life, the artist reflected a large number of various trends in his works. In addition to graphics and painting, he was engaged in scenography and wrote poetry.
Marc Chagall, 1967 Photo: Public Domain
Dossier
Marc Zakharovich Chagall (born Moishe Chagall) was born on July 7, 1887 in the city of Vitebsk. The real name of the family is Segal. According to the memoirs of Marc Chagall, it was changed to "Chagall" by the artist's father.
Artist's father Khatskel (Zakhar) Morduh Chagall worked as a loader in the shop of a herring merchant. Mark's mother Feiga Ita Chernina was the daughter of a butcher from Liozno. The parents married in 1886 and were cousins to each other. Mark was the eldest of ten children.
Education
In 1900 - In 1905, he studied at the Vitebsk first four-year city vocational school.
Portrait of a young Marc Chagall by his teacher Pan (1914). Photo: Public Domain
In 1906 he studied fine arts at the Vitebsk Art School. painter Yudel Pan.
In 1907, with 27 rubles in his pocket, he went to St. Petersburg to enter the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, which he headed Nicholas Roerich. Chagall's work impressed the admission committee so much that the young man was taken immediately to the third year without exams.
In 1910, a promising artist takes under his patronage Deputy of the State Duma Maxim Vinaver, providing Chagall with a scholarship and the opportunity to go to Paris to continue his studies.
Creative activity
In 1911 in Paris, the artist works on canvases, visits exhibitions and expositions Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, Courbet. In the second year, he opens a workshop in the famous refuge of poor foreign artists called La Ruche.
In 1914 he took part in an exhibition in Berlin, the works of Marc Chagall began to enjoy popularity and critical acclaim. During this period, he created his best canvases "Dedicated to Apollinaire" (1911-12), "Violinist" (1912) and "Paris from the Window" (1913).
After the Berlin exhibition, Chagall returned to Vitebsk. During this period, paintings such as The Praying Jew (or The Rabbi of Vitebsk; 1914) and The Jew in Green (1914) appeared.
In 1915 he left for Petrograd, entered the service of the Military Industrial Committee.
In 1916, Chagall joined the Jewish Society for the Encouragement of the Arts.
In 1918 he was appointed art commissar of the Vitebsk province, and then founded and directed an art school.
In 1919 he opened the Vitebsk Art School.
Due to disagreements with the Suprematists, in particular with Kazimir Malevich, moved in 1920 to Moscow. Worked at the Moscow Jewish Chamber Theater under the direction of Alexey Granovsky. He took part in the decoration of the theater: he painted wall paintings for the auditoriums and the lobby, and then costumes and scenery.
In 1921 he worked as a teacher in the Jewish labor school-colony "III International" near Moscow for homeless children in Malakhovka.
In 1922, together with his family, he left first for Lithuania and then for Germany.
In 1923, at the invitation of a well-known art dealer Ambroise Vollard the family moved to Paris.
In 1937, Chagall received French citizenship.
In 1941, the management of the Museum of Modern Art in New York invited Chagall to move from Nazi-controlled France to the United States, and in the summer of 1941 the Chagall family arrived in New York.
In 1947 he returned to France.
In 1973, at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union, Chagall visited Leningrad and Moscow. His paintings were exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery. After the exhibition, the artist presented the Tretyakov Gallery and the Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin his works.
In 1977-1978 the artist's works were exhibited at the Louvre in honor of his 90th birthday.
On March 28, 1985, he died in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France. Buried at the local cemetery.
Notable works
From the 1960s, Chagall became interested in sculpture and ceramics. In the early 1960s, commissioned by the Israeli government, Chagall created mosaics and tapestries for the parliament building in Jerusalem. After this success, he received many orders for the design of Catholic, Lutheran churches and synagogues throughout Europe, America and Israel.
In 1964, Chagall painted the ceiling of the Paris Grand Opera by order French President Charles de Gaulle in 1966 he created two panels for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and in Chicago he decorated the National Bank building with the Four Seasons mosaic.
Part of the ceiling of the Opera Garnier, painted by Marc Chagall. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / CC-BY-SA/Joe deSousa
Author of the stained-glass panel "Window of the World" in the lobby of the UN General Assembly building. Stained glass dedicated to memory Dag Hammarskjold, who served as UN Secretary-General from 1953 to 1961 and died in a plane crash during another peace mission.
Paintings:
Old woman with a ball (1906)
Girl on the Sofa (1907)
Window. Vitebsk (1908)
Seated Nude Redhead Woman (1908)
Family or motherhood (1909)
Russian wedding (1909)
Green Jew (1914)
Self portrait (1914)
Praying Jew (Rabbi of Vitebsk) (1914)
Marc Chagall, self-portrait. 1914 Photo: Public Domain
Feast (Rabbi with Lemon) (1914)
Portrait of Brother David with a mandolin (1914)
Old Vitebsk (1914)
Self-portrait with easel (1914)
Green Lovers (1914)
Blue Lovers (1914)
The Barber (Uncle Zusman) (1914)
Portrait of Sister Maryasinka (1914)
Newspaper Seller (1914)
Jewish wedding (1910)
Cow with an umbrella (1946)
Madonna and Sleigh (1947)
Lovers at the Bridge (1948)
Blue Wing Clock (1949)
Night (1953)
Quay Bercy (1953)
Bridges over the Seine (1954)
Field of Mars (1954)
Village Yard (1962)
Portrait of Vava (1966)
Red Horse Rider (1966)
Cows over Vitebsk (1966)
Above the City, Marc Chagall, 1918 Photo: Public Domain /
Lunnik (1967)
Blue Face (1967)
Testament of Odysseus. Fragment (1910)
Big Circus (1968)
Easter (1968)
Wizard (1968)
Sun of Poros (1968)
Fisherman's Family (1968)
Players (1968)
The Artist and His Wife (1969)
Lovers over St. Paul (1971)
Village (1975)
Jacob's Ladder (1973)
Colored Clown (1974)
Song of Songs (1974)
Blue Village (1975)
Holy Family (1975)
Tree of Jesse (1975)
The Fall of Icarus (1975)
The Artist and His Bride (1980)
Newlyweds in front of Paris (1980)
An Artist's Recollection (1981)
Self-portrait with a bouquet (1981)
Artist at the Festival (1982)
Artist over Vitebsk (1982)
Newlyweds in front of the Eiffel Tower (1983)
Bouquet of Flowers (1982)
Couple on a red background (1983)
Big Circus (1984)
Awards
In 1977, Marc Chagall was awarded France's highest award, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.
Family status
Was married three times.
First wife - Bella Rosenfeld, daughter of a Vitebsk jeweler. Chagall married her in 1915. In 1916 they had a daughter Ida, who became a biographer and researcher of the artist's work.
Second wife - Virginia McNeill-Haggard, daughter of a former British consul in the United States. From this marriage they had a son David. In 1950, after moving to France, Virginia, taking her son, ran away from Chagall with her lover.
Third wife - Valentina Brodskaya, "Vava", the owner of a London fashion salon and the daughter of a famous manufacturer and sugar factory Lazar Brodsky.
Throughout his life, Bella remained Chagall's muse, who died of sepsis in the United States in 1944. But, despite this, the artist always spoke of her as if she were alive.
- © / Evgeny Gavrilov
- © / Evgeny Gavrilov
- © / Evgeny Gavrilov
- © / Evgeny Gavrilov
- © / Evgeny Gavrilov
- © / Evgeny Gavrilov
- © / Evgeny Gavrilov
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The personality of Marc Chagall, one of the brightest and most prominent avant-garde artists of the 20th century, still causes a lot of controversy - he is loved and scolded, admired and not understood. And this is no accident, because his work is grotesque, symbolic and extraordinary. He lived a rich creative life: he was a painter, and a graphic artist, and an illustrator, and a poet, and a master of arts and crafts - and whoever he was! But perhaps his main art was the art of seeing the world differently than other people. And today everyone, looking at his paintings, can plunge into the amazing fairy-tale world of Marc Chagall.
The painting "Above the City", written in the period from 1914 to 1918, is considered by many to be the most mysterious and strange in his work. Two lovers soar high in the sky over a small cozy Vitebsk. A man and a woman, having escaped from the bustle of the world, ascended over the sleepy town. It is not difficult to recognize Chagall himself and his beloved Bella in this pair. The long-awaited moment of the meeting has come after a tiring separation, and now they can completely surrender to enjoying each other, forgetting about everything. Admiring them, the phrases “soar in the sky” and “fly with happiness” no longer seem so far-fetched and irrational, the line between dream and reality is blurred.
Symbolism and grotesque not only in the plot of the picture, but also in numerous details. For example, it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that lovers have one hand each - a symbol of unity, they have become one. A lonely grazing green goat, like a man with his pants down in the foreground, refers to the fabulousness and unreality of everything that happens. Much attention is paid to the feminine image of Bella. Her whole appearance speaks of her purity, innocence and youth: her hair, styled naturally, the deep calm look of black eyes, a lace blouse and a long black skirt. She is safe, her fiancé holds her tightly, although his posture is light and unconstrained.
However, Chagall, adhering to his style, did not draw large objects enough. The urban landscape and architecture are depicted schematically, everything seems to be covered in haze. The choice of colors of the picture is also not accidental. The gray and featureless city, in contrast to the rich shades of lovers' clothes, tells us about the superiority of sincere feelings over boring everyday life.
But not only the power of love tears this amazing couple off the ground, but also the power of art. All the strength and power of Chagall's painting combined in this picture - and cubism, and futurism, and true love.
Chagall's work has always been characterized by mythologism and folklorism. All his paintings are filled with magic, but Chagall's love story with Bella, his main archetype and muse, was real. He devoted all his works to her, always consulted and listened to his beloved.
Solving the mystery of this picture seems impossible. Everyone will see in their own way. But, of course, no one will remain indifferent. After all, it refers to such an eternal, bright and simple - true love. And everyone can feel it.
In 1887, on July 7, the future world-class artist Chagall Marc was born, whose paintings throughout the 20th century caused numbness and delight among visitors to numerous vernissages, which exhibited the paintings of the famous avant-garde artist.
The beginning of the creative path
Moishe's childhood, as his parents originally called him, passed in the city of Vitebsk. The boy's father worked as a loader at the fish market, his mother kept a small shop, and his grandfather was a cantor in the Jewish synagogue. After graduating from a religious Jewish school, Moishe entered a gymnasium, although in Tsarist Russia Jews were not allowed to attend Russian educational institutions. Of course, it was difficult to study in an illegal position. After studying for several years, he left the gymnasium and became a volunteer at the "School of drawing and painting of the artist Peng." Two months later, Mr. Peng, amazed by the talent of the young man, offered him free education at his school.
The young artist redrawn all his relatives in turn, then began to paint portraits. Thus, a bright original painter Chagall Mark appeared in the art world, whose paintings will soon be bought by the best Alias, or rather a new name, he came up with himself. Moishe became Mark, and Chagall is a modified Segal, from his father's surname.
northern capital
Twenty-year-old Mark decided not to sit still and soon went to St. Petersburg, hoping to continue his painting studies there. He had no money, besides, the discriminatory policy of the Russian state towards the Jews made itself felt. I had to live in the northern capital on the verge of poverty, surviving by odd jobs. However, Chagall did not lose heart, he was happy to be in the maelstrom of the artistic life of St. Petersburg. Gradually, he formed a circle of useful acquaintances among the Jewish beau monde, and new friends began to help the young artist.
Marc Chagall, whose paintings immediately began to be regarded as heralds of a new surrealist style, tried to develop his individuality and did not follow the generally accepted canons of painting. And, as later life showed, he chose the right path. In the early works of the artist, the fantastic fabulousness of the plot and the metaphorical nature of the images were already traced. Everything that Marc Chagall wrote at that time, paintings with titles: "The Holy Family", "Death", "Birth", are vivid examples of an unusual style. At the same time, the last theme, the birth of a baby, was reflected in the work of Chagall several times, in different interpretations. However, in all cases, the woman in labor was depicted in a small drawing, which was inferior in size to other characters, men, goats, horses, who were around. However, this is the phenomenon of Marc Chagall's creativity, he was able to arrange microscopic details in such a way that they suddenly began to dominate the general background. A tired woman in labor and a midwife with a newborn in her arms became the center of the picture with some incomprehensible obyuraz.
Acquaintance with Lev Bakst
While in St. Petersburg, Chagall Marc, whose paintings attracted increasing attention from the secular public, continued his studies at the private school of art Seidenberg, while doing simple work in the Jewish magazine "Voskhod" to provide himself with food. Later he met with the school teacher Zvantseva, who played a decisive role in the fate of the artist. Chagall also attended lectures by the painter Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, who attracted him as a champion of everything new in art.
In the spring of 1910, Marc Chagall made his debut - his paintings participated in the opening day, which was arranged by the editors of the Apollo magazine. And shortly before this event, the artist met the woman of his life, Bella Rosenfeld. Love between them broke out instantly, and a happy time continued for both from the day when the young people got married and began to live together. In 1916, the couple had a daughter, who was named Ida.
Moving to Paris
In the summer of 1910, the deputy Maxim Vinaver, a patron of the arts and a great admirer of the fine arts, offered Chagall a scholarship that made it possible to study in Paris. The capital of France greeted Mark cordially, he became close to the artist Ehrenburg and, with his assistance, rented a studio in Montparnasse. Chagall paints at night, and during the day he disappears in galleries, salons and exhibitions, absorbing everything connected with the great art of painting.
The masters of the early 20th century became an example for the young artist. The great Cezanne, Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Delacroix - from each of them, the enthusiastic Chagall tries to learn something for himself. His mentor in St. Petersburg, Lev Bakst, once viewing the Parisian drawings of his student, confidently declared that "now all colors sing." The paintings of Marc Chagall, the photos of which are presented on the page, fully confirm the opinion of the teacher.
creative haven
Soon Chagall moved to the "Beehive", a kind of Parisian art center, which has become a haven for poor visiting artists. Here Mark meets poets, writers, painters and other representatives of the bohemia of the French capital. All those works that Marc Chagall wrote in the "Hive" (paintings with names: "Violinist", "Calvary", "Dedication to my bride", "View of Paris from the window") became his "calling card". However, despite the complete assimilation with the Parisian creative environment, the artist does not forget about his native Vitebsk and paints paintings: "Cattle Seller", "I and the Village", "Snuff to Tobacco".
Early work
One of the most memorable paintings is "Window. Vitebsk", written in the style of "naive art" or "primitivism", which Marc Chagall followed in the early period of his work. "Window. Vitebsk" was created in 1908, when the artist was just beginning to master the wisdom of the "primitive style".
For several years spent in Paris, Marc Chagall painted about thirty paintings and more than 150. He took all his works to Berlin for an art exhibition in 1914, which became his main benefit in the art world. The audience was delighted with the paintings of Chagall. From Berlin, the artist was going to go to his native Vitebsk to see Bella, but the outbreak of the First World War prevented him.
The further fate of the artist
Mark Zakharovich Chagall, whose paintings have already become widely known, was released from military conscription. Acquaintances helped to get a place in the Military-Industrial Department of St. Petersburg, and for some time the artist was provided with housing and work. Chagall's paintings in this turbulent time were especially action-packed and realistic. "War", "Window in the Village", "Feast of Tabernacles", "Red Jew" - these are just a few of those paintings that were created during the war years. Separately, the artist created a lyrical series of paintings: "Walk", "Pink Lovers", "Birthday", "Bella in a White Collar". These canvases represent only a small part of the extensive series of his works of the First World War period.
"Walk"
One of the most famous works of the artist, created by him in 1918. Post-revolutionary moods, faith in a happy future, the romance of young love - all this is reflected on the canvas. Disappointment in the new social values of the country of the Soviets had not yet set in, although it was not far off. Nevertheless, one of the most faithful followers of the new ideals of that time was the artist Marc Chagall. "Walk" is an optimistic picture, full of bright hopes, the characters do not think about the negative. The woman depicted on the canvas soars above reality, the young man is also ready to take off from the ground.
Works by Chagall 1917-1918
The artist was inspired by the revolutionary events that took place in Petrograd. He, like many representatives of the intelligentsia of the Northern capital, felt the fresh wind of change and believed in their infallibility. St. Petersburg artists, writers, composers undertook to promote a new way of life, and one of the first in the ranks of enthusiasts who stood up for the equality of all people was Marc Chagall. The paintings "Above the City", "War to the Palaces - Peace to the Huts" and many other canvases of that period reflect the artist's desire for creation.
Bella and a bouquet of flowers
A special place in the artist's work is occupied by a painting dedicated to his beloved wife, who once brought him a bouquet of flowers to wish him a happy birthday. Without wasting a second, he rushed to the easel. Touched to the depths of his soul, the artist tried to capture the beautiful moments on canvas. This was the whole Marc Chagall. "Birthday" - a picture created in a matter of minutes in the form of a sketch, and then finalized. She became one of the best in the collection of the artist. As he himself stated, inspiration comes for a few minutes, it is important not to miss it.
Responsible position
In 1918, Mark Zakharovich Chagall, whose paintings were already considered the property of the Vitebsk province, became the commissioner for the arts of the local executive committee. The artist showed outstanding organizational skills, he decorated Vitebsk on the anniversary of the October Revolution with various banners, flags and banners. "Art to the masses!" - that was his slogan.
In 1920, Marc Chagall moved to Moscow with Bella and little Ida, where he began working in the theater community. In the process of creating scenery for performances, Chagall radically reconsiders his creative methods, trying to get closer to the "revolutionary" new style in painting. The party organs made several attempts to win the artist over to their side, but since Chagall was already a recognized master of the world-class brush, these attempts were not successful.
Confrontation
The tension that arose between the freedom-loving artist and the communist leadership soon developed into an open confrontation, and Marc Chagall left the country of the Soviets with his family.
Berlin became the first European city where Mark, Bella and little Ida settled. The artist's attempts to get money for the exhibition in 1914 ended in nothing, most of the paintings were gone. Chagall was returned only three canvases and a dozen watercolor drawings.
In the summer of 1923, Mark receives a letter from his old friend in Paris, who invites him to come to the French capital. Chagall is on his way, and there another disappointment awaits him - the paintings that he once left in the "Hive" are also gone. However, the artist does not lose heart, he begins to paint his masterpieces again. In addition, Marc Chagall receives an offer from a major publishing house to illustrate books. He begins work with the story "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol and does an excellent job with the task.
family trips
Chagall's financial position has become stronger, and together with his family he begins to travel to European countries. And in between voyages, the artist paints his immortal canvases, which are becoming lighter and lighter: "Double Portrait", "Ida at the Window", "Rural Life". In addition to paintings, Chagall is engaged in illustrating the edition of La Fontaine's Fables.
In 1931, Marc Chagall visits Palestine, he wants to feel the land of his ancestors. The few months that the artist spent in the Holy Land made him change his attitude to life. Bella and daughter Ida, who were nearby, favored this. Returning to Paris, Chagall deals only with biblical illustrations.
Moving to America
In the late thirties, fleeing the German Nazis, the Chagall family emigrated to the United States. And again - work with theatrical scenery, this time in the Russian Ballet. then rejected the work of Chagall and gave preference to the sketches of Picasso, but the theatrical costumes in the authorship of Mark were accepted.
The war in Europe is in full swing, although it is already clear that it is losing. In the summer of 1944, the good news comes - Hitler is on the verge of capitulation. And at the end of August, Marc Chagall is overtaken by trouble, Bell suddenly dies of sepsis in the hospital. The artist loses the meaning of life from grief, but his daughter Ida supports him and helps him survive. Only nine months later, Chagall picks up brushes. Now he finds salvation in work, paints pictures day and night. The creative impulses of the artist helped him survive the acuteness of the loss.
Mark Zakharovich (Moses Khatskelevich) Chagall (1887–1985) was born in Russia and then moved to France. In the world he is known as an avant-garde artist of the 20th century. A good graphic artist and painter, he also worked on scenography, designed performances, and invented images of heroes. In addition, he wrote poetry in Yiddish. Paintings by M.Z. Chagall and their photos with names can be seen below.
The future artist, Movsha Khatskelevich was the eldest of the seven children of the clerk H.M. Chagall and his wife F.M. Chernina, who were married in 1886 and were each other's cousin and cousin. M. Chagall studied at home, knew the Hebrew language (biblical Hebrew), the Torah and the Talmud well. Then he graduated from the Vitebsk four-year school. After studying for one year at the school of Y. Peng, an excellent teacher and leader of the Jewish Renaissance, he moved to St. Petersburg.
Chagall continued his artistic education at the drawing school headed by N.K. Roerich, where he was accepted immediately to the third year. From 1909 to 1911 he studied at a private school with Lev Samoilovich Bakst, who was friends with S. Diaghilev.
In 1909, M. Chagall met Berta (Bella) Rosenfeld, who studied at the Higher Women's Courses in Moscow, and fell in love. It was not a passing fad, Bella became his muse, she gave him inspiration. All female images in the paintings of M. Chagall look at the audience through the eyes of his beloved woman, the memory of which he kept throughout his long life. M. Chagall lived in difficult times. Wars and revolutions raged all around. He often moved, changed jobs. In 1916, a daughter, Ida, appeared in the family of Mark and Berta.
In 1920, Marc Chagall moved to Moscow and began working at the Jewish Chamber Theater, directed by Alexei Granovsky. He took an active part in the formation of the theater - he decorated the walls with paintings, made sketches for scenery and costumes. In 1921, the opening of the theater took place, marked by the premiere of the play "The Evening of Sholom Aleichem", on which the artist also worked.
At the personal invitation of Ambroise Vollard, an art dealer who supported many gifted artists, Chagall and his family moved to Paris in 1923, where in 1937 he received French citizenship. But in 1941, in connection with the events taking place in Europe, Marc Chagall was forced to leave for the United States. Bella dies a few years later from blood poisoning. After the end of World War II, in 1947 the artist returned to France with his new wife, the daughter of the former British consul Virginia McNeill-Haggard, and their young son David. But it was not possible to create a real family with her, they broke up after three years.
Relations with Valentina Brodskaya, the owner of a London fashion salon, the daughter of a large sugar industrialist and philanthropist, ended in marriage in 1952.
Since 1960, changes have come in the work of M. Chagall. He became interested in monumental types of modern art:
- with enthusiasm he made various mosaics, colorful stained-glass windows, even created tapestries, was engaged in sculpture;
- completed a number of orders for the parliament building in Jerusalem, after which he was offered many orders to decorate synagogues and Christian churches in Europe.
According to the order of the French President Charles de Gaulle, in 1964 Chagall was working on painting the ceiling of the Paris Grand Opera and performing a number of serious works in the USA. In 1973 the artist visited the USSR. His works were exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery.
The works of Marc Chagall were known all over the world, his works deserved great attention of many creative people and critics. For a long creative activity, he was awarded the highest government award of the French state - the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. On the occasion of the artist's 90th birthday, an exhibition of his works was created in the Louvre. M. Chagall died in 1985 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
Paintings
The work of Marc Chagall is based on his national Jewish attitude. His first teacher Yudel Peng gave him an idea of the direction of the artist. Chagall's artistic techniques are characterized by his personal visualizations of many folk sayings in Yiddish and the embodiment on the canvas of the heroes of Jewish folklore. The artist is considered the forerunner of the future surrealism and expressionism.
This is the most famous portrait of the artist's wife. Close-up Chagall depicted his beloved woman, and far below, made on a much smaller scale, two tiny figures are visible. It is believed that in this way the artist depicted himself with his daughter. In the painting, Marc Chagall showed the great importance that his wife had for his life and all his creative activity.
In the center of the picture there was a real sacrament - a man had just been born. However, this does not mean that, apart from the woman in labor and the midwife, the artist did not depict anyone. On the contrary, life is literally in full swing around. Someone is focused on the fact that there is one more person in the family, while others go about their business and perceive the event calmly. They hurry to show the newborn to the head of the family, a handsome old man with a long white beard. It is to him that the midwife is sent, carrying the baby in the pelvis. The picture can be considered for a very long time and each time you add new details to what you see. Birth, life and death are the main themes in the work of any artist, but Marc Chagall shows this as an ordinary case, the attitude of the heroes of this picture to which is very different.
Marc Chagall painted this sad picture in 1908. It very powerfully shows the experiences of a woman who has lost her loved one. The deceased is visible in the foreground, he is highlighted by six burning candles surrounding him. She is not alone, people are still visible nearby. Each of them experiences the loss of a person in their own way. But they are not in the best mood at this moment either. Awareness of the transience of life, the grief of a woman left alone are expressed in a musician playing sad melodies on the roof.
One of the first works of the master in the style of cubism. In the center of the picture, a very close-up depicts an artist who is working on his next work. On his left hand, pointing to the canvas, there are seven fingers. In the upper left corner is an image of the Eiffel Tower, in the right - in a pile of white clouds you can see a small church surrounded by small one-story houses. What the artist draws looks like a fragment from Russian life. Most likely, with his work, Chagall expressed his hopes and desires to combine in his life the French business activity and the Russian way of life, memories of life in Vitebsk and Moscow.
Marc Chagall painted his painting in 1938, almost immediately after Kristallnacht. At that time he was in Europe. The central part of the canvas shows the crucifixion of Jesus, dressed in tales, a special prayer vestment in Judaism. The color scheme prevails in the picture, with the color of ivory taken as the basis. At the feet of Jesus is a lit seven-candlestick lamp. Jesus is shown as a symbol of the suffering of all mankind. It is illuminated by a bright beam of light. Above, the heroes of the Old Testament are visible, they are in great bewilderment and cry. A house is on fire below, a huge tongue of flame stretches upwards. People are in a panic. In the lower right corner is a figure that can be seen in several of Chagall's works. She is described as any Jewish traveler, or even as the prophet Elijah. The painting has a crowd with red flags and the Lithuanian flag of that time. This picture is highly appreciated by Pope Francis.
These are just a few paintings from the great heritage of the famous avant-garde master. The best paintings by Chagall, with titles and descriptions, are presented on our website. The work of this artist is appreciated and studied by our contemporaries. Throughout his life, he tried to express his attitude to the events taking place around him in paintings and sculptures, mosaics and tapestries.
