Saturday, July 2, 2022

Paris In July: Marc Chagall

I recently read the book "The Bridal Chair" by Gloria Golderich, about Marc Chagall and, equally and perhaps even more so, his daughter Ida, and the role she played in saving his art and getting it out of Nazi-occupied France in World War II. 


(Most of the photos in this post, unless otherwise credited, are those I've taken at Art Institute of Chicago, Paris Opera Garnier and on the Chicago streets at Chase Tower Plaza on Dearborn Street.)

 

Although by the time I finished the book, I didn't much like Chagall or his daughter as people, I remain a devoted fan of his work. Chagall himself was an extreme narcissist. He and his beloved wife Bella, his muse and often featured in his work, barely made it out of France in WWII because he believed the Nazis would never arrest the famous Marc Chagall. (Like some other narcissists of past and present, he often spoke of himself in the third person.) 


The fact that they did was due only to the diligence of Ida and her first husband, Michael Rapaport (later Gordey, French Bureau Chief of Voice of America). It was Ida and Michael who actually got the art of out Paris. 

According to Golderich, Ida, vibrant and with increasing power through her manipulative charm, was more like a wife to her father than a daughter, addressing his needs before her own and damaging her marriage in the process. In addition to representing him to dealers and museum curators, overseeing his shows and collaborating with him on projects, she chose his homes, acted as his hostess for the many salons he hosted and essentially ran his life. 


This didn't set well with the mother of his son, Virginia, who served as his housekeeper and lover after Bella's death, or his second equally manipulative wife, Vava. (This is a book where I only liked one or two of the characters!)

But the art! Ah, the art. It told of the Jewish experience. Indeed, the man who rarely -- if ever in his life -- set foot in a synagogue created art that told of pogroms and exile and of great joys and love as well. 


Most who are familiar with Chagall's art think of his paintings -- none of which I've shared here. Many of these works of art focus on his Jewish experience -- his youth and young adulthood in Russia, the fleeing of anti-semitism in that country to Paris and again having to flee in World War II.


What many don't realize is that he approached a variety of media with equal zeal and passion, especially later in his life after achieving a reputation as a great artist of the period. These include mosaics, stained glass, pottery, scene and costume design for opera and ballet, and architectural elements. 


The artist always considered Paris and France his home, although his time in Russia prior to emigrating was never far from his heart. During his war and post-war years in American, he longed to return "home," and when he was able, returned to France.

His ceiling for the Paris Opera Garnier (1964) was initially met with criticism, much of it veiled anti-Semitism. He was foreign born (a Russian Jew) and a modernist. But the work has since been lauded as a complex work of art, celebrating the music and composers who were often a part of the opera's repertoire.


 Created of twelve canvas panels encircling a round central panel, the piece measures about 2580 square feet or 240 metres. The design of the panels echo the colors on the stage in the characters of such composers as Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Stravinsky, Bizet, Debussy, Ravel and Mozart, among others.


The Four Seasons, in Chicago's Chase Plaza was done in 1974.

Chicagoartworld.blogspot.com

It is essentially a 70 foot box that stands 14 feet high and ten feet wide. It took a good deal of abuse from the windy city's rough winters (and no doubt, some hooliganism) and was covered with a glass "box" in later years. 

The subjects of the piece resonate with those who know Chagall's paintings. It is an overall celebration of the four seasons.


Its images include birds, flowers, lovers and animals mingle in brightly colored shards of tile. The artist created the design on panels in France and they were later transported and installed in Chicago.

The American Windows of the Art Institute of Chicago were done in 1977 and were a gift from Chagall by commission to the institution. The panels combine symbols from American history, the Chicago skyline and arts that include music, painting, dance, theatre, literature and architecture. 


Created in collaboration with French stained-glass artist Charles Marq, the instalation features 36 colored glass panels. Chagall painted his designs onto the glass, which more than 30 feet wide and eight feet tall. There are three parts in each window with twelve separate sections that highlight the various subjects.

There is much to love in the work of Chagall and in many ways, the less I knew about him, the better I liked him and his work. I still love the work and always will. 

 

You can find more of a review of "The Bridal Chair" on my post HERE. 


For other references that amplify information in this post, you may want to check out the links below.

https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/3172/chagall-s-america-windows

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/marc-chagall-opera-ceiling

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/marc-chagall%E2%80%99s-ceiling-for-the-paris-op%C3%A9ra-marc-chagall/RwHNmMsONyvObQ?hl=en

https://gallerease.com/en/magazine/articles/eyewitness-of-the-making-of-chagalls-masterpiece-in-the-paris-opera__b45d314d9826

This post is part of Paris In July, a month-long blog post hosted by Tamara of Thyme for Tea and Deb of Readerbuzz.  Visit either of their sites for links to more posts related to the books, art, film, food and travel experiences in the City of Light.


Sharing with:    Paris in July    /   Pink Saturday   /   Share Your Style  

50 comments:

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

This is an amazing post! I can't imagine how long it took you to pull it all together. A label of love, for sure. I think a lot of arts get self-centered and not very likeable as their fame goes. Same with actors or singers and good for you that you can separate the art from what you read about the artist and his family.

bobbie said...

Love the mosaics!!

Linda Sue said...

Great! I love his work and now you have saved me , I will not read the book, he sounds a true disappointment in the "personality"-"good soul" department. Your examples of his work are so fine! Thank you!

Mae Travels said...

Featuring Chagall’s glass and mosaic works rather than paintings is a great idea! One of his famous stained glass creations, a whole series of windows, is in a chapel of the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. I had quite an adventure driving there to see it. It was worth it! The hospital is not in the least a tourist attraction — it’s very hard to find and harder to get back, and once I found a parking place (illegal) it was hard even to find the chapel! I like your Chicago images too — I think I have seen all of them.

Happy Paris in July.

best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Carola Bartz said...

You're so right, sometimes it is better to not know much about the artist as a person. Chagall seems to be one of those. I admit that I know next to nothing beside the essentials about him and I think I might keep it this way. When I was in Jerusalem I went to Hadassah Hospital to see his gorgeous windows in the synagogue there. They were amazing - the light, the colors - everything.

DVArtist said...

This is a great post. All that art. Thank you for sharing this.

Emma at Words And Peace / France Book Tours said...

Beautiful, thanks for sharing!
I'm familiar with this fresco in Chicago.
I have also seen his stain-glass windows in Rheims Cathedral (Reims in France). Stunning colors
https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/07/02/paris-in-july-2022-day-2/

DUTA said...

What a coincidence! I was just reading the latest post of a brasilien blogger whose blog I follow(Luiz Gomez). Its subject deals with Marc Chagal - biography and art. It appears there's an exhibition now in Rio de Janeiro, and the blogger gives us info on that.
Chagal was a jew (russian born), so as I'm a jew too, he and his jewish experience inclusive antisemitism, are meaningful to me.

anno said...

Sometimes I think that artists bring the best of themselves to the work they create... and I'm starting to wonder how useful/productive it is to look behind the curtain to see how closely their lives and relationships with others express the ideals we see in their work. Chagall sure did create some beautiful works, didn't he? Thanks for sharing tehse with us today!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I find the comment 'rarely, if ever set foot in a synagogue' a little off- putting, Jeanie. Since when did a lack of religious observance disqualify a Jew from being concerned about the welfare of Jewish people and the pogroms and other injustices they faced? Hitler certainly didn't ask people whether they attended synagogue as he marched them off to the gas chambers.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Good post
Movement and color are what interests me about Chagall.

gigi-hawaii said...

There used to be an abstract painting by Chagall hanging at the East West Center at the University of Hawaii. It was huge and impressive. I wonder if it is still there after the center was renovated. Gigi hawaii

Bill said...

The mosaics are stunning.

My name is Erika. said...

I am also a fan of Mar Chagall's work but didn't know any of this or even much about him. This sounds like worth wild read, even if you don't really like some of the people after reading it. I am going to add it to my reading list as I like books about artists especially when I learn something. Thanks for sharing Jeanie. This was a really interesting post. hugs-Erika

anno said...

Also, apropos of nothing in particular regarding this post, but perhaps appropriate for July in Paris, George Bilgere has a new poem about the "scooter scourge" in Paris: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5599955946701331&set=a.100852356611745 (from what I can tell, you don't have to sign in to facebook to see the poem).

Pamela said...

Interesting post! I saw a Chagal exhibit at the Hokkaido Museum of Art in 2013 and my favorite part of the exhibit was the Aleko ballet costumes and sets he designed.

Divers and Sundry said...

I think of the color blue when I think of him, and these images are wonderful to see. It's interesting to hear about the private lives of public figures.

acorn hollow said...

I do not know much all about the artist or his work. I know art is a personal choice and I have never truly understood his art or cared for it. It was a very interesting with your great information and pictures.
Cathy

Karen K. said...

I lived in Chicago for ten years and had NO IDEA about the Four Seasons!! How did I never hear about this?? And I was JUST THERE last October and went to the Art Institute, where I did in fact look at the Chagall windows. Grrrr. I guess I'll have to go back!!

I've also seen the Palais Garnier and loved it, also made it down to Nice a few years ago and was able to go the Chagall museum which is wonderful. Much of it is a whole series of works from the Bible. I'm not very religious but I was still in awe of the scale and beautiful colorwork, absolutely stunning.

I didn't know he was such a narcissist but I suppose most of those famous artists were!

Mel u said...


During Paris in July 2020 I posted on a very thorough biography of Marc Chagall by Jonathan Wilson.

http://rereadinglives.blogspot.com/search?q=Marc+Chagall

Today is Chagall’s 134th birth anniversary

I really enjoyed your post.

Iris Flavia said...

I go with Carola. Great art, but as a man... nope.

Anonymous said...

Lovely and interesting. Thanks for sharing

Pam Richardson said...

Jeanie, this is a very interesting post. I admit that I didn’t know much about Chagall…thanks to you I do now. Take care of yourself after that horrendous fall. Hope you heal quickly!

Jenn Jilks said...

What an awful man! I've known a couple of artists and the men can be divas!
The art is lovely, however.
(ツ) from Jenn Jilks , ON, Canada!

Pat said...

An amazing blob! I love his work. Hearing about his history was saddening but I will always love his works. I was lucky to see his work in the Grenier Opera House. The room was breathtaking and the theater too. The building and its history was awesome too.
Would have loved to see his works in Chicago, I did see some, and at other places.
Thanks for and interesting story.



Marie Rayner said...

You have shared some beautiful examples of art with us Jeanie, but I don't think he was a very nice person. I hope you are doing well! Thanks for sharing a very interesting piece of history with us and some beautiful work! xoxo

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I learned a lot about Chagall today. Much of his life I knew little about. I really love his paintings, but am unfamiliar with his mosaics, which, BTW, are stunning. And that glass work is amazing. Nice of you to review his life. From how you described him, he reminds me of a not-so-former president.

Sandra at Maison De Jardin said...

Jeanie, this is incredible. I had not heard of him until now. Thanks so much for sharing.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I'm a little sad to hear that Chagall was a narcissist, but I would have to say that I am not really surprised. It does diminish his art a bit in my eyes.

The only Chagall I've seen is at the Pompidou. I mentioned it in a post here: https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2021/07/wondrous-words-modern-art-at-centre.html

I will be visiting Chicago in the near future. I will look for his Chicago-based art when I next visit.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I'm disappointed to learn that Chagall was a narcissist, but I guess I am not really surprised.

Steve Reed said...

That sounds like a very interesting book, and I love your photos of the amazing artworks. I've been to the Art Institute but I don't remember those windows, and I don't think I ever saw the mosaic "box" while I was in Chicago either. Clearly I need to go back!

I think I can understand why the ceiling of the Opera Garnier was jarring to people. It doesn't look like the typical ornamental ceiling in that type of building.

Joanne Huffman said...

Always lovely to see any of Chagall's work. Separating the art from the artist is a thorny issue.

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Lovely mosaics Jeanie. The history lesson is wonderful. I am new to Chagall's art. Happy 4th.

It's me said...

Love the mosaics,wonderful post happy week love Ria and Leaf 🍀💗🐾🍀

Lowcarb team member said...

I do like the mosaics.

All the best Jan

Sherry's Pickings said...

that four seasons box is amazing! not sure how i feel about his work and his character sounds abysmal. but it seems like a lot of creative people are pretty darn selfish :-)

Veronica Lee said...

I've never heard of this artist but the mosaics are incredible!

A very interesting post with great info and beautiful photos, Jeanie.

Jenny Woolf said...

Thanks for this! He did some huge windows in Fraumünster church in Zurich which I visited by chance not knowing about them. It turned me on to his stained glass. I had always thought he was simply a painter before.

Mica said...

I hadn't heard of this artist or seen these works before, so thank you for sharing! I really like the mosaics! :)

Hope you had a good weekend :)

Away From The Blue

Polly said...

I think many brilliant people become self centred and above themselves. I'm not a fan of his work, but appreciate the talent.

Amy at Ms. Toody Goo Shoes said...

I've learned so much from this post, sadly forgetting many details from art history classes years ago. The unlikable characters almost make me want to read the book, but I think I'll take a pass on that one. However, it does make me want to book a flight to France and wander through the Chagall museum in Nice.

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

I am reading a WWII novel right now and Chagall is mentioned. The book is The Post Mistress of Paris and it's about a wealthy woman and connected former reporter, both based in Chicago, who work on getting artists out of France.

It's disappointing when you love an artist and then find you dislike the person behind the art... I can't imagine referring to myself in the 3rd person. And that father/daughter relationship sounds so unhealthy and dysfunctional!! But his art is gorgeous!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Out of curiosity, I had to see who helped him get out of France, and it's the guy this book I am reading is about - Varian Fry and a Chicago heiress named Nanee. What a coincidence that I am reading a book about the people who helped artists like Chagall out!

Marilyn Miller said...

Fascinating! I have never been drawn to his art, but that ceiling is in it's own way quite beautiful. I probably wouldn't seek out his work, but if I came across some it would cause me to pause and take it in.

William Kendall said...

Our national gallery has one of his works.

Marg said...

Those stained glass windows are amazing! I didn't realise he worked in so many mediums!

Lisbeth said...

Thank you for this interesting article. I was not aware of his diversity as an artist. As you say, most people know about his paintings. Will read The Bridal Chair. Always interesting to read about artists lives.

Bellezza said...

We are fortunate enough to live by the Art Institute of Chicago, and Marc Chagall’s windows are breathtaking in real life! But, you did a marvelous job of highlighting them for Paris in July! I loved this post.

Bellezza said...

We are fortunate enough to live by the Art Institute of Chicago, and Marc Chagall’s windows are breathtaking in real life! But, you did a marvelous job of highlighting them for Paris in July! I loved this post.

Prims By The Water said...

What gorgeous artwork. I was most fascinated with the tiled ones. I took a class in school once for making mosaics and I loved it! Janice

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