Marc Chagall – Surrealism never seemed more realistic
Marc Chagall, the well acclaimed and exceptional Jewish artist, has managed to express what many before him never dreamt of: He stretched the boundaries of reality and brought a sizzling world of fantasy to the visual language of Judaism. When one looks at one of Marc Chagall’s works of art he is immediately filled with awe.
Jewish Art by Marc Chagall
The metaphysical poet George Herbert once put this feeling in accurate words on his poem “Prayer” when he ends it in this simple but powerful phrase: “something understood”. In other words, when we stand before Chagall’s works, we sense the rare ability that he had – to put profound truth into colors and lines. Each one of his pieces penetrates the soul because it holds an understanding, which couldn’t be expressed otherwise.
By the term “Jewish Art” one might refer to art which is created by Jewish people and centers in Jewish related scenes: whether from the bible or from the Jewish life. However, this definition is quite technical and lacks the one parameter which cannot be measured or even seen: the spirit of the Jewish people.
There is no obvious link between shapes and content and there is no guarantee that when an artist draws a man dressed with “Talit” (praying shawl), that man’s silent expression will bring thousand years of longing to life. Chagall, however, mastered this link, which slipped through others’ fingers so many times before (and after). In his paintings he managed to catch the spirit of the nation and the dominant undercurrent which flowed in Jewish hearts for decades: the eternal longing.
This longing of the Jewish people to reunite with G-d and see Him through the “Hester” (state of concealment) found a faithful expression in the mass of colors which Chagall chose to use in his inspired paintings and stainless glass works, as longing equals life and life equals color.
The Bride, Groom and the Eiffel Tower
The surrealism movement believed that reality, as it reveals itself on a daily basis, only conceals the true nature of things. They believed that the truth, about ourselves and the world, can be exposed only by entering a different state of mind, which isn’t bound to logic or any kind of rules. The artist can bring this truth to the surface by using unexpected juxtapositions that have the power to awake our consciousness from its incessant and degenerating nap.
In this painting (as in many of his other dream-like works) Marc Chagall follows the surrealist path and confronts the real with the unreal: On the reality’s side, we have a bride and a groom in front of the Eiffel Tower, but something is different: they are floating, leaning to the right as though they were swept by the wind. The proportions of the objects in the painting are also twisted: the couple is huge compared to the village on the right or the tiny couple (which may be them, a few minutes back) which is getting married on a cloud to their left.
Moreover, not only that they ride a rooster (unrealistic element by all means), it’s much bigger than them, as if it were some kind of mythical animal. The unusual elements in Marc Chagall’s artworks do not end here: the couple is surrounded with many strange creatures such as the cow which holds a fiddle and has a bottom of a large violin or the several winged men. Normally, a couple would stand in front of the Eiffel Tower and make sure the tower is seen, but this fascinating painting reflects a more internal truth: It places the tower (and the objective reality) on the background and brings the subjective truth – the seething feelings of a newly wed couple – into the foreground.
Think how interesting it would be to welcome your guests with this mysterious painting, hanging in your living room.
You will be surprised to find out how each person gives this painting a new meaning, that reflects his own soul.
To those of you who wish to buy some of Marc Chagall’s master work, we invite you to visit here. This online store offers a wide range of Judaic artwork by March Chagall, including prints, mezuzahs and paintings in limited editions.
