In 1887, on July 7, the future world-class artist Chagall Mark was born, whose paintings throughout the 20th century caused numbness and delight among the visitors of numerous vernissages, on which the paintings of the famous avant-garde artist were exhibited.
The beginning of the creative path
Moisha's childhood, as his parents originally called him, passed in the city of Vitebsk. The boy’s father worked as a loader in a fish market, his mother kept a small shop, his grandfather was a cantor in the Jewish synagogue. After graduating from a Jewish religious school, Moysha entered a gymnasium, although in Tsarist Russia Jews were not allowed to attend Russian educational institutions. Of course, studying in an illegal situation was difficult. After studying for several years, he left the gymnasium and became a volunteer in the "School of Drawing and Painting of the Artist Pan." Two months later, Mr. Pan, astounded by the talent of the young man, offered him free tuition at his school.
The young artist redrawn all his relatives in turn, then began to paint portraits of the inhabitants of Vitebsk. So in the world of art appeared bright original painter Chagall Marc, whose paintings will soon be bought by the best museums in the world. He invented a pseudonym, or rather a new name, for himself. Moysha became Mark, and Chagall is the changed Segal, from the name of his father.
northern capital
Twenty-year-old Mark decided not to sit still and soon went to St. Petersburg, hoping to continue his training in painting there. He did not have money, moreover, the discriminatory policy of the Russian state towards Jews made itself felt. They had to live in the northern capital on the verge of poverty, interrupted by casual earnings. However, Chagall was not discouraged, he was happy to be in the whirlpool of the artistic life of St. Petersburg. Gradually, he formed a circle of useful acquaintances among the Jewish elite, and new friends began to help the young artist.
Chagall Mark, whose paintings immediately began to be seen as messengers of a new surrealist style, tried to develop his personality and did not follow the generally accepted canons of painting. And, as subsequent life showed, he chose the right path. In the artist's early works, a fantastic fairy tale plot and metaphorical images were already traced. Everything that Marc Chagall wrote at that time, paintings with the names: “Holy Family”, “Death”, “Birth” - are vivid examples of an unusual style. At the same time, the last theme, the appearance of the baby, was reflected in Chagall’s work several times, in different interpretations. However, in all cases, the woman in labor was depicted in a small pattern, which was inferior in size to other characters, peasants, goats, and horses that were around. However, this is the phenomenon of creativity of Marc Chagall, he knew how to arrange microscopic details so that they suddenly began to dominate against the general background. A tired woman in labor and a midwife with a newborn in her arms, with some incomprehensible oburas, became the center of the picture.
Acquaintance with Leo Bakst
While in St. Petersburg, Chagall Mark, whose paintings attracted more and more attention of the secular public, continued his studies at the Seidenberg private art school, while performing simple work in the Jewish magazine Voskhod to provide himself with food. Later, he met with Lev Bakst, a teacher at the Zvantseva school, who played a decisive role in the fate of the artist. Chagall also attended the lectures of the painter Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, who attracted him as a champion of everything new in art.
In the spring of 1910, Marc Chagall made his debut - his paintings took part in the opening day, which was arranged by the editorial board of the Apollo magazine. And shortly before this event, the artist met a woman of his life, Bella Rosenfeld. The love between them broke out instantly, and a happy time continued for both from the day when the young people got married and began to live together. In 1916, a daughter was born to the couple, who was named Ida.
Relocation to Paris
In the summer of 1910, MP Maxim Vinaver, a philanthropist and a great admirer of fine arts, offered Chagall a scholarship that made it possible to study in Paris. The capital of France met Mark affably, he became close to the artist Ehrenburg and, with his assistance, rented a studio in Montparnasse. Chagall writes at night, and in the daytime disappears in galleries, salons and at exhibitions, absorbing everything connected with the great art of painting.
Masters of the early 20th century became an example for a young artist. The great Cezanne, Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Delacroix - each of them enthusiastic Chagall tries to adopt something for himself. His mentor in St. Petersburg, Lev Bakst, once having looked at the Parisian drawings of his student, confidently stated that "now all the colors are sung." Pictures of Marc Chagall, photos of which are presented on the page, fully confirm the opinion of the teacher.
Creative shelter
Soon Chagall moved to "The Hive", a kind of Parisian art center, which became a haven for wealthy visiting artists. Here Mark meets poets, writers, painters and other representatives of the bohemia of the French capital. All those works that Marc Chagall wrote in The Hive (paintings with the names: “Violinist”, “Calvary”, “Dedication to My Bride”, “View of Paris from the Window”) became his “calling card”. However, despite full assimilation with the Parisian creative environment, the artist does not forget about his native Vitebsk and paints: "Seller of cattle", "I and the village", "Snuff of tobacco."
Early work
One of the most memorable paintings is “Window. Vitebsk”, written in the style of “naive art” or “primitivism”, which Marc Chagall followed in the early period of his work. "Window. Vitebsk" was created in 1908, when the artist was just beginning to master the wisdom of the "primitive style".
For several years spent in Paris, Marc Chagall painted about thirty paintings and more than 150 watercolor drawings. He took all the work to Berlin to the 1914 art exhibition, which became his main benefit in the art world. The audience was delighted with the paintings of Chagall. From Berlin, the artist was going to go to his native Vitebsk to see Bella, but the First World War, which had suddenly begun, prevented him.
The fate of the artist
Mark Zagarovich Chagall, whose paintings have already become widely known, was released from military conscription. Acquaintances helped to get a place in the Military Industrial Department of St. Petersburg, and for some time the artist was provided with housing and work. Chagall’s paintings at this turbulent time were especially action-packed and realistic. "War", "Window in the Village", "Feast of Tabernacles", "Red Jew" - these are just a few of those paintings that were created during the war. Separately, the artist created a lyrical series of paintings: "Walk", "Pink Lovers", "Birthday", "Bella in a White Collar." These paintings represent only a small part of the vast series of his works from the period of the First World War.
"Stroll"
One of the most famous works of the artist, created by him in 1918. Post-revolutionary moods, faith in a happy future, romance of young love - all this is reflected on the canvas. The disappointment in the new social values ​​of the country of the Soviets has not yet come, although it was just around the corner. Nevertheless, one of the most loyal followers of the new ideals of the time was the artist Marc Chagall. "Walk" - an optimistic picture, full of bright hopes, the characters do not think about the negative. The woman depicted on the canvas hovering above reality, the young man is also ready to take off the ground.
The works of Chagall 1917-1918
The artist was inspired by the revolutionary events that took place in Petrograd. He, like many representatives of the intelligentsia of the Northern capital, felt the fresh wind of change and believed in their infallibility. St. Petersburg artists, writers, composers undertook to promote a new way of life, and one of the first in the ranks of enthusiasts who advocated the equality of all people was Marc Chagall. The paintings "Above the City", "War on Palaces - the World of Huts" and many other paintings of that period reflect the artist's desire for creation.
Bella and a bouquet of flowers
A special place in the artist’s work is occupied by a painting dedicated to his beloved wife, who once brought him a bouquet of flowers to congratulate her on her birthday. Without losing a second, he rushed to the easel. Moved to the core, the artist tried to capture beautiful moments on canvas. This was all Marc Chagall. "Birthday" - a picture created in a matter of minutes in the form of a sketch, and then finalized. She became one of the best in the collection of the artist. As he claimed, inspiration comes for a few minutes, it is important not to miss it.
Responsible position
In 1918, Mark Zagarovich Chagall, whose paintings were already considered the property of the Vitebsk province, became the arts commissioner of the local executive committee. The artist showed outstanding organizational skills; he decorated Vitebsk on the day of the anniversary of the October Revolution with a variety of banners, flags and banners. "Art to the masses!" - that was his slogan.
In 1920, Marc Chagall moved to Moscow with Bella and little Ida, where he began working in the theater community. In the process of creating scenery for the performances, Chagall radically revises his creative methods, trying to get closer to the “revolutionary” new style in painting. The party organs made several attempts to attract the artist to their side, but since Chagall was already a recognized world-class brush master, these attempts did not succeed.
Confrontation
The tension that arose between the freedom-loving artist and the communist leadership soon turned into an open confrontation, and Marc Chagall left the country of the Soviets with his family.
Berlin became the first European city inhabited by Mark, Bella and little Ida. The artist’s attempts to get money for the 1914 exhibition ended in nothing, most of the paintings disappeared. Chagall returned only three canvases and a dozen watercolor drawings.
In the summer of 1923, Mark receives a letter from Paris from his old friend, who calls him to come to the capital of France. Chagall rides, and there he will find another disappointment - the paintings that he once left in “The Hive” also disappeared. However, the artist is not discouraged, he begins to write his masterpieces again. In addition, Marc Chagall receives an offer from a major publisher to illustrate books. He begins work with the story Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol and copes with the task perfectly.
Family trips
Chagall's financial situation was strengthened, and he and his family began to travel to European countries. And between the voyages, the artist writes his immortal canvases, which are becoming lighter and lighter: “Double portrait”, “Ida by the window”, “Village life”. In addition to paintings, Chagall illustrates the publication of "La Fontaine's Fables".
In 1931, Marc Chagall visits Palestine, he wants to feel the land of his ancestors. The few months that the artist spent in the Holy Land forced him to change his attitude to life. Bella and daughter Ida, who were nearby, favored this. Returning to Paris, Chagall deals only with biblical illustrations.
Relocation to America
In the late thirties, fleeing from the German Nazis, the Chagall family emigrated to the United States. And again - work with theatrical scenery, this time in the Russian Ballet. Igor Stravinsky then rejected the work of Chagall and preferred the designs of Picasso, but theatrical costumes by Mark were accepted.
The war in Europe is in full swing, although it is already clear that the Third Reich is losing. In the summer of 1944, the good news came - Hitler on the verge of surrender. And in late August, Marc Chagall is in trouble, in the hospital, Bell suddenly dies of sepsis. The artist loses the meaning of life from grief, but his daughter Ida supports and helps him survive. Only nine months later, Chagall picks up brushes. Now he finds salvation in his work, he paints both day and night. The creative impulses of the artist helped him survive the severity of the loss.