Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall was born in 1887 to a poor Jewish family in Russia. He was the 
eldest of nine children. Chagall began to display his artistic talent while 
studying at a secular Russian school, and despite his father’s disapproval, in
1907 he began studying art with Leon Bakst in St. Petersburg. It was at this 
time that his distinct style that we recognize today began to emerge. As his 
paintings began to center on images from his childhood, the focus that would 
guide his artistic motivation for the rest of his life came to fruition.
In 1910, Chagall moved to Paris for four years. It was during this period 
that he painted some of his most famous paintings of the Jewish village, and 
developed the features that became recognizable trademarks of his art. Strong 
and bright colors began to portray the world in a dreamlike state. Fantasy, 
nostalgia, and religion began to fuse together to create otherworldly 
images.


In 1914, before the outbreak of World War I, Chagall held a one-man show in
Berlin, exhibiting work dominated by Jewish images. During the war, he resided 
in Russia, and in 1917, endorsing the revolution, he was appointed Commissar
for  Fine Arts in Vitebsk and then director of the newly established Free
Academy of  Art. In 1922, Chagall left Russia, settling in France one year
later. He lived  there permanently except for the years 1941 - 1948 when,
fleeing France during  World War II, he resided in the United States. Chagall's
horror over the Nazi  rise to power is expressed in works depicting Jewish
martyrs and refugees.


In addition to images of the Jewish world, Chagall's paintings are inspired 
by themes from the Bible. His fascination with the Bible culminated in a series 
of over 100 etchings illustrating the Bible, many of which incorporate elements 
from folklore and from religious life in Russia.


Israel, which Chagall first visited in 1931 for the opening of the Tel Aviv 
Art Museum, is likewise endowed with some of Chagall's work, most notably the 
twelve stained glass windows at Hadassah Hospital and wall decorations at the 
Knesset.

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