Cultural Cocktail Hour
10+ Facts About Marc Chagall
The #1 Search Term on Cultural Cocktail Hour has consistently been—- Marc Chagall!!
To reward my faithful readers for their curiosity, here are
10+ FACTS ABOUT MARC CHAGALL
1. Real Name: Moyshe Segal
2. Birthplace: Vitebsk, Russian empire
3. Artistic Style: Chagall invented his own style, blending Cubism, Fauvism, Surrealism, and Expressionism with images from Jewish folklore and legend.
4. Family Background
Chagall was born into a Hassidic Jewish family living in Russia.
His father, Zakhar, assisted a herring merchant;
His mother, Feiga Ita, ran a small shop.
5. Wife
Bella Rosenfeld:
a cultured woman with a passion for theatre, painting, and poetry
6. Paris
“My art needed Paris, like a tree needs water.”- Chagall
When Moyshe Segal arrived in Paris he changed his name to Marc Chagall. The resourceful painter did not let his lack of money stop him. He painted on canvases made from curtains and even his own shirts.
7. Stained Glass Windows.
In addition to painting, Chagall also created stained glass windows.
“Stained Glass Windows represent
the transparent partition
between my heart
and the heart of the world”-
-Chagall-
Chagall’s magnificent stained glass can be found in France, Germany, Britain, Switzerland, and the United States.
8. Ballet
Chagall created designs, sets, and costumes for New York City Ballet Theatre, including:
Tchaikovsky’s Aleko
and Stravinsky’s Firebird
9. Circus:
Another image that intrigued Chagall was the circus. As a child growing up in Russia, he had observed many carnival-like fetes for the Jewish festival of Purim. In Paris, Chagall attended the Cirque d’Hiver at the behest of Ambroise Vollard, the prominent art dealer.
10. Judaism
Chagall often infused his work with mystical Jewish symbols.
Unfortunately, the Nazi Regime classified his work as degenerate, and Chagall eventually sought exile in New York.
His painting, Solitude, poignantly and movingly evokes alienation and loss.
–Solitude- by Marc Chagall
11. *BONUS*
Some of the recurring symbols in Chagall’s
art include:
Peddlers, Acrobats, Angels, Musicians, Couples, Donkeys, Cows , Fish, Clocks, Violins, Ladders, Flowers, and the Eiffel Tower
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