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I became aware of Marc Chagall when I was a teenager in the 1960’s. Many of the artists I discovered then were still alive like Dali, Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Marcel Duchamp, and Marc Chagall too, whose brides, goats, and violinists floating through the air soon became too predictable and sentimental for me as I moved into my twenties.
This April with Passover, Ramadan, and Easter intersecting, I looked at paintings by Chagall of Passover. I saw other paintings as well, among them several of Christ and his crucifixion. Chagall like Jesus was a Jew, who saw in Christ’s suffering all human suffering.
Below is a link to a PBS program that features paintings by Chagall from the 1940s, the decade of Hitler and his hateful consequences. And I have to admit that I’m finding Marc Chagall once again compelling. It’s all right that I easily recognize him; there still are surprises there. Enjoy.
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2013/09/20/september-20-2013-chagalls-jewish-jesus/20250/
Time Is A River Without Banks, 1930 -35
The Fall of the Angel, 1932 – 47
Solitude, 1932
Descent from the Cross, 1941
The Crucified, 1944
Soul of the City, 1945