Marc Chagall

Please note that measurements in inches are incomplete in the printed catalogue and should read 16 1/4 x 10 5/8 in. The canvasboard is sound. There is no evidence of retouching under UV light. This work is in very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."

stamped 'Marc Chagall' (lower right), oil and ink on board laid down on canvas. Painted circa 1970.

"Ces clowns, ces écuyères, ces acrobates se sont installés dans mes visions. Pourquoi? Pourquoi leurs maquillages et leurs grimaces m'émeuvent-ils? Je m'approche avec eux vers d'autres horizons. Leurs couleurs et leurs maquillages l'entraînent vers d'autres déformations psychiques que je rêve de peindre" (Marc Chagall, Le Cirque, Paris, 1967).

L'Ecuyère en rouge est un exemple éblouissant de l'énergie créative et du sens théatral qui ne cesseront  d'inspirer les œuvres de Chagall sur le thème du cirque. L'artiste se fascine pour cet univers durant ses années de formation à Vitbesk, puis plus tard à Paris, où il assiste fréquemment à des représentations en compagnie d'Ambroise Vollard.

Chagall considérait le spectacle circassien comme crucial en tant qu'expérience visuelle et poétique - un parallèle transcendental à la vie réelle, qui satisfaisait son imagination et sa propension au voyage pur et lyrique : "c'est un monde magique le cirque, un jeu dansant continu où les larmes et les rires, le jeu des bras et des jambes constituent un art à part entière (Marc Chagall, Le Cirque (catalogue d'exposition), Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, 1981, n.p.). Ce thème poignant fut récurrent dans tout l'œuvre de Chagall.

L'Ecuyère en rouge est une représentation onirique resplendissante de différents personnages et moments d'un spectacle de cirque. Elle trouve son rythme à travers une superposition de personnages, au premier rang desquels une écuyère en rouge saluant son public. L'introduction d'un poisson et d'un coq dans ce paysage circassien est sans doute une réminiscence de l'enfance du peintre à Vitbesk. Soulignant la fraîcheur émotionnelle dont Chagall imprègne ses scènes de cirque, Lionello Venturi précise que "Les images des gens du cirque de Chagall (...) sont tout à la fois burlesques et affectueuses. Leur perspective de sentiments, leurs formes fantastiques suggèrent que le peintre s'amuse lui-même dans un état d'esprit plus libéré; et le résultat traduit avec éloquence la pureté caractéristique du cœur de Chagall.
Les scènes de cirques sont des réalisations adultes de rêves d'enfant" (L. Venturi, Marc Chagall, New York, 1945, p. 39).

 

"These clowns, circus riders and acrobats inhabit my visions. Why? Why do their make-up and their grimaces move me? I travel with them to new horizons. Their colours and their make-up lead them towards other psychological metamorphoses that I dream of painting" (Marc Chagall, Le Cirque, Paris, 1967).

L'Ecuyère en rouge is a dazzling example of the creative energy and theatrical feeling that continually inspired Chagall's works on the theme of the circus. The artist became fascinated by this world during his years of training in Vitbesk, then later in Paris, where he frequently attended shows accompanied by Ambroise Vollard.

Chagall considered the spectacle of the circus as a crucially visual and poetic experience – a transcendental parallel to everyday life, which satisfied his imagination and his propensity for pure travel and lyricism: "the circus is a magical world, a continuous dancing game in which tears and laughter, the movement of arms and legs constitute a totally unique art" (Marc Chagall, Le Cirque (exhibition catalogue) Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, 1981, n.p.). This poignant theme recurred throughout Chagall's oeuvre.

L'Ecuyère en rouge is a resplendent, dreamlike depiction of several figures and moments from a circus performance. It finds its rhythm through a superposition of figures, chiefly a red horsewoman saluting her audience. The introduction of a fish and a cockerel into the circus landscape are no doubt memories from the painter's time in Vitbesk. Underlining the emotional freshness with which Chagall infuses his circus scenes, Lionello Venturi notes that "Chagall's images of circus folk (...) are at once comic and affectionate. Their emotional perspective, their fantastical forms suggest that the painter is enjoying himself with a liberated state of mind; and the result eloquently translates the characteristic purity at the heart of Chagall. The circus scenes are the adult realisations of childhood dreams" (L. Venturi, Marc Chagall, New York, 1945, p. 39).