Marc Chagall - Modernist, Surrealist. 1887 - 1985

 "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is" 
​Pablo Picasso 

Marc Chagall

​A polymath in the world of Art and Illustration, Marc Chagall, the Franco-Russian modernist painter, was one of the pioneers in his line of work. Creating images which completely stripped away all necessity for the accurate, and delving deep into the realms of sensual portrayal, Chagall and his following Modernist movement, have been a key-stone in the cultural landscape. Living until 1985, with an astonishingly long life, Chagall out lived many of his counterparts in Modernism, which began to flourish in the 1920s.  

​An international reputation for quality work allowed Marc Chagall to be commissioned for many awe inspiring pieces, including stained glass windows for several places of worship, including the Cathedrals at Metz and Reims. He also provided some stunning visual art within the widows of the United Nations building, an institute which was founded within his lifetime, due to events he'd also have witnessed first hand. This makes their presence there something very special.  

Having been raised in a Jewish family, with a European background, the adult life faced by Marc Chagall would have been turbulent. The 1930s and 40s were dark times for anyone with a non Anglo-Saxon heritage, and racism was rife in the continent. During the First World War, in 1914-18, Chagall found residency in Belarus, where he became a celebrated artist perhaps for the first time. Taking his newly found esteem, he went on to form a school of avant-garde art called Vitebsk Arts College. The area already had a strong reputation for excellence in the study of classics and the Kabbalah.  

​With such a magnificent taste in colour and shape, the surreal element of his work truly speaks in high volumes when we grace it with our eyes. The paintings themselves leap from their matrix and nestle themselves in our minds like loving children wanting a hug. It's such an honour to share a life with the work of Marc Chagall, and although I was only four years old when he passed away, I breathed the same air too. Class.