Lot 196
  • 196

Marc Chagall

Estimate
800,000 - 1,200,000 USD
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Description

  • Marc Chagall
  • Le Coq sur fond noir
  • Signed Marc Chagall (lower right); signed Marc Chagall (on the reverse)
  • Oil on canvas
  • 32 by 25 3/4 in.
  • 81.5 by 65.5 cm

Provenance

Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York (acquired directly from the artist)
Private Collection (acquired from the above)
Sale: Christie’s, New York, November 9, 2000, lot 238
Private Collection

Exhibited

New York, Pierre Matisse Gallery, Marc Chagall, Recent Paintings 1966-1968, 1968, no. 29, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Condition

The work is in excellent condition. The canvas is unlined. The paint layer is well reserved. The surface is clean. Under UV light there is no apparent inpainting.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

This striking image represents the artist’s exploration of the relationship between man and animal, first touched upon in the 1920s (see fig. 1). Chagall maintained a recurring visual vocabulary throughout his oeuvre, and Le Coq sur fond noir features some of his most celebrated motifs: the hen, the pair of lovers and the violin. Of course the present composition is dominated by the giant yellow bird in the foreground, set against a mysterious black-blue background. The skittish avian creature is fleeing from the composite figure of the couple at right. The latter's representation is unconventional: the man holding the violin is joined at the waist to his female companion, who is depicted upside down, as if a reflection of her lover. This symbiotic depiction is typical of Chagall’s intensely romantic vision of the world. The violin held special meaning for the artist, who learned to play the instrument as a boy in Vitebsk; furthermore it was the music often heard at Russian weddings, and accordingly fiddlers were a main fixture in Chagall's romantic imagery from its onset. Recalling his color experiments of the 1920s and further underscoring the influence of artist Robert Delaunay, Chagall has reduced his palette to four elementary colors—bright yellow, dark blue, shocking red and malachite green—which strongly contrast one another, helping to draw the viewer's eye to his characters' faces and further contributing to the fantastic nature of his distinctive and dreamlike universe.