Russian-born painter, lithographer and designer, Marc Chagall was Born in Vitebsk, son of a deeply religious Jewish family.
The exhibition, entitled Chagall, Modern Master, is hosted at the Tate Liverpool in Liverpool and it will last until the 8th October 2013. It presents the works of the artist from the perspective of a personality of the modern age who kept his eyes on the past.
From his early works in a deep folk-impressionist style to his later artworks through cubistic stained glass, lies in its interpretation of a world that vanished in the early years of the 20th century. Jewish Russia was a rich society in those years, shattered by antisemitic pogroms in the last years of the tsars. The Bolshevik revolution in 1917 further eroded Jewish identity in Russia, as it eroded all identities.
The idea was to see the work of Marc Chagall from a new perspective:
‘Chagall: Modern Master is a fresh take on Chagall: by concentrating on the first decade of his career, we have been able to explore – through a series of major paintings and rarely seen works on paper – the rapid evolution of his practice during his three years in Paris (1911-14) and subsequent return to Russia (1914-22). These years of great social and political upheaval affected his art immensely, and the exhibition reveals the important points of contact for Chagall during this time, from Cubism in Paris to the State Jewish Chamber Theatre commission in Moscow.‘ – Stephanie Straine, Assitant Curator.
This exhibition is the largest Chagall show in Britain for 15 years, and it gives the chance to look again at this interesting figure, too often criticised by frustrated reviewers with lack of imagination.
Text by Matilde Casaglia
