Marc Chagall was born into a strict Jewish family for whom the ban on representations of the human figure had the weight of dogma. A failure in the entrance examination for the Stieglitz School did not stop Chagall from later joining that famous school founded by the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts and directed by Nicholas Roerich. Chagall moved to Paris in 1910. The city was his ldquo;second Vitebskrdquo;. At first; isolated in the little room on the Impasse du Maine at La Ruche; Chagall soon found numerous compatriots also attracted by the prestige of Paris: Lipchitz; Zadkine; Archipenko and Soutine; all of whom were to maintain the ldquo;smellrdquo; of his native land. From his very arrival Chagall wanted to ldquo;discover everythingrdquo;. And to his dazzled eyes painting did indeed reveal itself. Even the most attentive and partial observer is at times unable to distinguish the ldquo;Parisianrdquo;; Chagall from the ldquo;Vitebskianrdquo;. The artist was not full of contradictions; nor was he a split personality; but he always remained different; he looked around and within himself and at the surrounding world; and he used his present thoughts and recollections. He had an utterly poetical mode of thought that enabled him to pursue such a complex course. Chagall was endowed with a sort of stylistic immunity: he enriched himself without destroying anything of his own inner structure. Admiring the works of others he studied them ingenuously; ridding himself of his youthful awkwardness; yet never losing his authenticity for a moment.At times Chagall seemed to look at the world through magic crystal ndash; overloaded with artistic experimentation ndash; of the Ecole de Paris. In such cases he would embark on a subtle and serious play with the various discoveries of the turn of the century and turned his prophetic gaze like that of a biblical youth; to look at himself ironically and thoughtfully in the mirror. Naturally; it totally and uneclectically reflected the painterly discoveries of Ceacute;zanne; the delicate inspiration of Modigliani; and the complex surface rhythms recalling the experiments of the early Cubists (See-Portrait at the Easel; 1914). Despite the analyses which nowadays illuminate the painterrsquo;s Judaeo-Russian sources; inherited or borrowed but always sublime; and his formal relationships; there is always some share of mystery in Chagallrsquo;s art. The mystery perhaps lies in the very nature of his art; in which he uses his experiences and memories. Painting truly is life; and perhaps life is painting.
#2085783 in eBooks 2014-02-10 2014-02-10File Name: B00INWT2E2
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. GOOD LIGHT READBy Thomas Spaldinginteresting but not what I expected. no info on GOBEKLITEPE2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Interesting and entertaining -- GREAT page turner!By CustomerPowerful story with traceable and inspiring facts - GREAT page turner! I found this book interesting and entertaining. It gets you even more curious about human history and helps grow your knowledge base with a magnificently told story!
