Chagall is at the Mudec Museum of Cultures in Milan with Marc Chagall. The Story of Two Worlds, an exhibition curated by the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
The exhibition, open until July 31, 2022, explores the artistic research and work of the Russian artist, who later became a French citizen, from a new perspective, focusing particularly on his work as an illustrator.
Chagall in the History of Art
Chagall was born in the present-day city of Lesna, then Vitebsk, in Belarus, on July 7, 1887.
In his paintings, he depicts the popular life of European Russia and numerous biblical episodes biblical that reflect the Jewish culture from which he himself descended.
The works of Chagall can be framed within various phases of art history, even though he never officially adhered to any movement.
However, he personally experienced the Parisian movements, moving through the avant-gardes to cubism and fauvism.
Like all his contemporary artists, he left for Paris, which, in the early 1900s, was the undisputed capital of art, and it was there that he approached the School of Paris and its representatives, especially Modigliani.
The Meeting with Bella Rosenfeld, Wife and Muse
The artist had a rather eventful life marked by key events such as the meeting with his beloved wife, who later also became his muse, Bella Rosenfeld.
The two met in 1909 in Vitebsk, in Belarus, when Marc – just over twenty – was about to leave for Paris while Bella, who was only fourteen at the time, was still a student. They married in 1915 and remained together for life, until the premature death of Bella, which occurred in 1944 while the family was in New York.
Chagall at Mudec and “The Story of Two Worlds”
Marc Chagall. The Story of Two Worlds includes a selection of over 100 works mostly donated by Chagall’s family and friends.
The exhibition thus retraces the biography and production of the artist: from the nostalgic memories of his hometown that come to life, for example, in the work The Pokrowska Street in Vitebsk from 1922 to the first meeting with Bella.
He illustrated her books Burning Lights and First Encounter, dedicated to the memories of the woman’s life in the Jewish community.
The books, of which the Mudec displays the original drawings, were published after the woman’s passing.
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Marc Chagall. The Story of Two Worlds thus reflects the multifaceted identity of the artist and the fundamental themes of his work: Jewish origins, Vitebsk, the role of husband and that of the artist illustrating the Bible and various religious places, such as the interior of a synagogue in Safed.
To complete the exhibition path, a selection of ritual objects, used in the religious ceremonies of Jewish communities and often depicted in the works of Chagall.
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