Chagall -- The Painter Who Is Enamored of Dreamlike Imagery

Author: Daniel Marchesseau
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-03-01
Features: In 1985, Marc Chagall, the last highly respected " patriarch" after Matisse and Picasso to take the coast of Nice, passed away in Saint-Paul-de-Vence at the age of ninety-eight. The Fauvist school takes pride in having nurtured numerous foreign artists within its embrace. Among them, Chagall was one of the most innovative pioneers. "Enamored of dreamlike imagery," as the Minister Malraux, who commissioned him to paint the ceiling of the Paris Opera, once summarized him. Chagall depicted the world of "Vitebsk's Jewish village," as well as his dreams, his love, the circus world, and the universal radiance of the "Biblical Message." He remains a master storyteller, recounting universal and eternal poems built upon the typical imagery of God and humanity. Daniel Marchesseau revisits the life of this twice-exiled Russian who now has returned to heaven. This heaven was the very theme the painter excelled at depicting throughout his long life. "Two years ago, Monsieur André Malraux suggested that I create a new ceiling painting for the Paris Opera. I was overwhelmed, moved to tears, and deeply reflected day and night on the grand structure of the theater. I deeply admired the talent of the architect Garnier. I wanted to use a cluster of dreamlike compositions in the high ceiling, like a mirror, reflecting the creative activities of actors and musicians, awakening the rhythmic movement of colors in the costumes of the audience below, without concern for vocal techniques. I wanted to pay homage to the great opera composers and ballet choreographers. With all my heart, I created and dedicated this work to France, to the Parisian school. Without them, there would be no color, and no freedom."