"L'artiste et l'ange"
Signed Marc Chagall. Executed in 1982. Charcoal, colour crayon and ink on japan paper 67 x 51 cm. Certificate by David Mac Neil (son to Marc Chagall) dated 24.10.8 comes with this lot. This work will be presented to the Comité Chagall on December 3, 2019.
The estate of Marc Chagall.
Swedish private collection.
Galleri Ferm, Göteborg.
Swedish private collection.
The painting "L'artiste et l'ange" was executed in 1982 during a period of stability and harmony at the end of Chagall's life. "L'artiste et l'ange" includes many of the symbols and subjects that Chagall returned to in his oevre; love, religion, dreams and fantasy. In his unconventional world filled with animals, flowers and people we find the bridal couple, the soaring hornblower, the angel, the houses climbing the hill of the village and Christian and Jewish symbols. Chagall would often return to previous motifs, drawing inspiration and making new interpretations based on memory. In the composition, the artist has seated himself at the easel, working on a canvas depicting the crucifixion, a reference to the artist's important suite of paintings from 1938.
Marc Chagall, the Belarusian artist, is one of the leading figures of modern art, an artist who as a visual language inspired by expressionism, cubism and futurism. His unique way of manipulating reality foreshadows surrealism. Chagall was active as a painter and graphic artist. In 1906 he studied under Yehuda Pen tutorship, after which he moved to St Petersburg where he commenced his studies at Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts under Nikolai Roerich's guidance. During his time in St. Petersburg, Chagall was exposed to modernism, which eventually led him to Paris in 1910.
In Paris Chagall became influenced by the new wave of artists and poets, such as som Max Jacob, Roger La Fresnaye och Robert Delaunay. Chagall eventually became drawn into the politics of the Russian Revolution, and the Soviet Ministry of Culture appointed him Commissar of Visual Arts for Vitebsk Arts College. During World War II, he fled with his family to Paris, spending a brief period in the United States before returning to France in 1949, where he lived until his death in 1985. Marc Chagall is celebrated as a virtuoso, one of the world's most renowned artists, known for his universe that encompasses a spectrum of emotions—from deep sorrow to immense joy. His work continues to inspire and captivate audiences globally, leaving an indelible mark on the history of modern art.