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26
FIRST THINGS
A p r il 2 0 1 4
THE CHRIST
OF MARC C H A G A F L
D a v id Lyle Jeffrey explains the Jewish and Christian
symbolism in Chagalls work.
T H E C H R I S T OF M A R C C H A G A L L
28
FIRST THINGS
-raa c t u r e d , a t o m
ized w o rld . C h a g a ll w arien
elong
s a d
li Rai'ssa
-M a r i t a i n , like h im raised in a Y id d ish -sp e a k in g o r
t h o d o x Je w ish c o m m u n ity , b u t w h o alo n g w ith her
h u s b a n d J a cq u e s c o n v e rted to C h r is t ia n i1ty9 0in
6.
She said t h a t C h a g a l l s h o w s tis C h r i s t te n d u
tr a v e rs le m o n d e p e r d u , C h r i s t s p r e a d a c ro ss th e
.lost w o r l d
o r C h a g all, im ages -ho pe tinge d w ith d e
s p a i r ,
joyous c e le b ra tio n in ace
th e
d e a th , re m a in e d in th e f o re g ro u n d o-his es
sentially Je w ish religious im a g in a tio n . N o
a r t i s t m o d e r n i t y so h a p p ily re p r e s e n ts
m a r r ia g e on his can v ases (as in his life) m a r r ia g e
as a g o o d a n d sym bolic 0 a higher g o o d . A n d he did
so despite p o g r o m s , th e R ussian Revolution, a n d tw o
.w o rld w ars, w hich so often im pinged on his canvases
But he also reflected on the d a r k e r elements -J e w
ish experience, characteristically f ta m in g th e m in the
light .the biblical sto ry
A m o n g th e m o s t m e m o r a b l e J e w i s h n a r r a ti v e s
is th e A k e d a h , th e a c c o u n t th e alm o s t- s a c r ific e
Isaac in G en e sis 2 2 . C h a g a l l c a m e b a c k to th is
scene m a n y tim es, g ra d u a lly m o v in g f to m d a r k n e s s
-to light. H is early t r e a tm e n ts i llu m in a te his la ter c r u
cifixion p a in tin g s in a distinctive way. In 1931, w hile
he w as w o r k i n g on his cele b ra ted Bible etchings
a r t dea le r A m b r o ise V ollard (1 9 3 1 -3 9 , 1 9 5 2 - 5 6 ) , he
first s h o w e d a n a k e d Isaac str e tc h e d o u t or r i t u a l
sla u g h te r, A b r a hea m
r a ise
w ith
d , ahis
n d kthn e
i
angel p o in tin g to a r a m c a u g h t n o t in a th ic k e t, as
th e u su a l r e a d in g depicts, b u t in th e ro o ts .a t r e e
H e also p a in te d this r e n d e rin g the A k e d a h in oil
April 2014
a n d g u a c h e o n p a p e r , ju st as he d id w ith m a n y 0
orthe
V ollard.
o th e r etching
T h e s hsa ddin
o nge 0
th is w o r k is a l m o s t as d a r k as th e ink o.
the e t c h in g
T h e n he did a n o t h e r p a in tin g , still m o r e d is t u r b i n g .
0 -A h r a h a m a n d Isaa c g o ing in th e p r e d a w n d a r k
ness up M o u n t M o r i a h , th e boy c a r r y in g w o o d for
th e sacrifice in a sack over his shoulder. A b r a h a m s
e g le am s in the light
k n his can d le , g rim ly a g a in st
th e dull c h ia r o s c u r o , the black, b r o w n , a n d o c h re
th e rest .th e s c en e
h e t h e r -n o t he a t t e n d e d s y n a
g o g u e s e r v ic e s , C h a g a l l w o u l d
T o mh a vheis kynoouwt h
n
t h a t t h e t e x t r e a-
dr o m G e n
esis 2 2 in th e m o r n i n g s e rv ic e
w a s c o n v e n t i o n a l l y m o r a l i z e d a n d r e a d to rer
e
to ] e w is h m a r t y r d o m , th e s u p r e m e a c t sacrifice
in lo y a lty to G o d s c o v e n a n t . It w a s i n h e r e n tly a
s o m b e r , t r o u b l i n g n a r r ul
a t i vmey, s ate rpya iat
n
th e h e a r t 0 -J e w i s h e x p e r ie n c e . Yet w h e n he r e
-t u r n e d to th e s u b je c t a g a in in 1 9 6 4 - 6 6 , he a b a n
d o n e d in k a n d c h i a r o s c u r o , d o in g in s t e a d several
-sk e tc h e s a n d s tu d ie s in pastels on p a p e r. T h e c o l
o rs a n d fig u re s a r e n o t s o m b e r b u t r e d a n d blue
w i t h t o u c h e s g o ld . All th e o r i g i n a l e l e m e n ts
a re p r e s e n t, b u t n o w th e r e is a b a c k g r o u n d scene
n o t p r e v io u s l y to be f o u n d , s h o w i n g t h e f a r
d i s t a n c e a c r u c i f i x i o n w i t h mfig
o uurre
n es r so.
'
C h a g a ll, M a r c (1 8 8 7 - 1 9 8 5 ). T h e S a c rific e o f l s a a c . 1 9 6 0 - 6 5 .
O il o n c a n v a s , 2 3 0
2 3 5 c m . M B M C 7 . P h o to : G r a r d B lot.
M n s e N a tio n a l M a r c C h a g a ll, N ic e , F r a n c e .
R M N - G r a n d P a la is / A r t R e s o u rc e , N Y
2 0 1 4 A r tis ts R ig h ts S o c ie ty (A R S ), N e w Y o rk / A D A G P , P a ris
29
T H E C H R I S T CE M A R C C H A G A L L
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