Free «Marc Chagall» Essay

Marc Chagall was born in 1887 and was the eldest son in a family of nine children. He was from a poor family in Russia where he displayed his potential in art while studying in a Russian secular school. Marc Chagall did not come from a family of artist. His father Chagall Zakhar worked in a fish factory while his mother Ida Chagall ran a grocery and worked at home. There was no significant teacher to copy from or react against. The family circle, his narrative village and years of his childhood were the main theme of his art (Beckett).

Chagall received his early schooling education from a friend teacher that lived nearby. He later attended the school town but was good on geometry and later become a photographer apprentice where he didn’t like the work. He later began his artistic instruction under a painter in Vitebsk who used to direct him (Alexander).

In the year 1907 he moved to enrolled for art programs in St. Petersburg Russia where he was studying art with Bakst Leon and his father disapproved of it. His distinct style that is recognized up to date emerged where his art paintings were focused on images from his childhood and this guided and motivated his artistic talent for the rest of his life.

Chagall faced a number of physical challenges to overcome. The first challenge started with his parents who were against him pursuing his passion to be an artist an in Vitebsk he was suffocated by his parent’s failure to support him in pursuing his arts dream. Being Jew life was difficult in Russian Capital since Jews were not allowed to reside in Petersburg less their profession permitted.

Chagall’s life was therefore engaged in a charade to hide from the cruel authorities who later jailed him for lack of official residence permit. He later managed to keep off further scrutiny and he managed to pursue his artist studies where he found the archaic approach depressing and stale. Two years later he managed to find a satisfying environment at Zventseva School (Chagall).

Chagall was a caring, passionate and gentle lover who loved his wifeBella Rosenfeld that he made the birthday painting of the two kissing in 1915. This painting sends peoples heart soaring to float with him in ecstasy cloud. Their happiness was celebrated by a number of brides and lovers paintings throughout his life.

Marc Chagall travels used to inspire his new works. A journey to Syria and Palestine in the year 1931gave him first hand information about the land that he presented in his Bible illustration. He also travelled throughout France and settled in United Sates where he designed costumes and sets for the ballets (Aleko) in 1942 and Firebird in 1944. His return to France in 1948 saw him start the Arabian night’s lithographs and later worked in ceramics in 1950.

Being a Christian Chagall was inspired and fascinated by the Bible where he used biblical themes in his paintings and graphic works. The stained glass window of the Cathedral church in France Metz and the medical centre in Jerusalem among others are some of his breathtaking works (Baal-Teshuva).

Chagall went on creating artwork throughout his life. In the year 1960a and 70s his stained glass artwork papered in New York United Nations in building and in 1973 a museum bearing his work was opened in France while a world famous museum in Paris with his sixty two art paintings was also opened which was the highest accolade he received. A rare event to have ever happened for any living artist.

The most interesting aspect of the artist life was his inspiration and his work whereby his childhood image and memories floated throughout his art work and the fact that he was inspired by his surroundings. His work was honest and direct in its revelation of his characters. It is interesting how he shows his love and care to his wife through painting. It is amazing that the source of his inspiration was from his home town. In his bibliography he Said “The soil that nourished the roots of my art was Vitebsk” (Chadall)