Marc Chagall

Galerie Boulakia, Paris

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down. The sheet is hinged to the mount at the upper edge. There is one artist's pinhole in the lower left corner and some very light time staining throughout the sheet. This work is in good condition. Colours: overall fairly accurate although the blue tones in the upper part of the work are slightly lighter in the original.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present work, executed in 1956, presents an array of Chagall's much-loved subjects, including a large bouquet of flowers, a goat, a cockerel, a mother and child over rooftops, and a crescent moon, which all converge in one picture plane to create an ensemble of parallel storylines. The ability to bring a variety of loosely connected elements together in one painting is unique to Chagall, from which he produces views and scenes of a dream-like quality. As the artist himself proclaimed: "For me a picture is a surface covered with representations of things (objects, animals, human beings) in a certain order in which logic and illustration have no importance. The visual effect of the composition is what is paramount" (quoted in Susan Compton, Chagall, (exhibition catalogue), Royal Academy of Art, London, 1985, p. 21).

Chagall infuses this fantastical scene and haphazard composition with strong bright bursts of colour, creating a vibrant and vivacious atmosphere. The picture is dominated by a large bouquet of orange and purple flowers, a motif that held profound significance for Chagall and came to symbolize France in his work.