Sixty Works by Modern Masters - Flipbook - Page 121
Marc Chagall
"All colours are the friends of
their neighbours and the lovers
of their opposites."
Marc Chagall
Russian/French, 1887 - 1985
Sans Titre, circa 1980
Oil on canvas
45¾ x 29 inches / 116 x 73 cm
Signed lower right: CHAGALL Marc
Signed again on the reverse: Marc Chagall
For Chagall the subject of the
circus held an enduring appeal. Its
backdrops and performers spoke to
his love of colourful, exaggerated
pageantry. Of circus clowns and
acrobats he once asked, ‘Why am
I so touched by their makeup and
grimaces? With them I can move
toward new horizons.’
The present painting is typical of
Chagall’s mature style, and includes
many of the key themes that
contribute to his poetic language.
During the artist’s later years, he
often returned to the subjects of his
past, and included symbolism that
recalled his time spent in Vitebsk
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as well as Paris. Here, we see
images of the painter at his easel,
fiddlers, the bride and groom, and
of course the woman and bouquet.
Chagall enlivens the surface of the
canvas using an exuberant array of
pigments and his signature summary
brushstrokes.
Provenance
Estate of the Artist
Private collection, Japan
This painting is accompanied by a
certificate of authenticity kindly
issued by the Comité Marc Chagall