James Baquet

    It may seem inappropriate to call someone a “Jewish artist,” though eminent Australian art critic Robert Hughes did just that, referring to the Russian-born French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) as “the quintessential Jewish artist of the 20th century.”

    But undoubtedly, Chagall exemplified a uniquely 20th-century European Jewish idiom in his work. From the themes he portrayed — Bible stories, the lives of Hasidic Jews, European ghetto culture, the Holocaust — to the symbols used — Stars of David, menorahs, Hebrew letters — there is no mistaking his deep-rooted Jewish identity.

    But at the dedication of the Chagall Museum in Nice (France) in 1973, Chagall said, “To my thinking, these pictures do not represent the dream of a single people but of all humanity. ... [A]ll, whatever their religion, will be able to come here and talk about this dream. ... I would like works of art and documents embodying the elevated spirituality of all peoples to be exhibited here...” Art from any particular tradition can transcend that tradition and “ping” with all humanity.

    As for his style, it is unique, and instantly recognizable. His brilliant colors combine with a dreamlike quality that defies description. One French art critic wrote that his art exhibits a “refined, anxious, childlike sensibility [and] a slightly romantic temperament.”

    Born in Russia, Chagall immigrated to France in 1923, where he remained except for a hiatus spent as a refugee in the United States from 1941 to 1948, during and just after the German occupation of France.

    In the remaining nearly four decades of his life, he continued painting, but also branched out into sculpture, ceramics, and most noticeably (at age 69) stained glass, with installations in numerous major buildings, including the United Nations Building in New York and a number of Christian cathedrals.

    He was working with a weaver on his last completed project, a tapestry of the Biblical figure named Job, the day he died.

    Vocabulary

    Which word above means:

    1. a distinct style or character

    2. one who has escaped from a bad social or political situation

    3. break, interruption

    4. sect of traditional Jews

    5. systematic killing of European Jews by the Nazis

    6. woven wall-hangings

    7. six-pointed symbol of Judaism

    8. perfect representation

    9. many-branched candlestick used on a Jewish holiday

    10. Jewish quarter of a European city