Marc Chagall (1887-1985) was born in Russia. He was Jewish and painted his prayers of gratitude for his surroundings. In 1910 he moved to Paris. Chagall seemed to fall in love with the energy of that city just as he had loved the simplicity of his Russian village. He painted these locations in a similar fashion. Here he shows us many real views of Paris and includes imaginary, dream-like aspects as he did throughout his views of Russia. Let’s look more closely!

Marc Chagall painted at the cutting edge of his time while staying true to his personal signature. Here in the angled sky and a double profile we see the influence of Picasso and Cubism while in the horizontal couple hovering together we see Chagall’s signature off-your-feet-in-love motif. Here we can notice Chagall’s signature blue in unique places amid Paris landmarks and events as he also and somewhat randomly chronicles the first person to parachute from the Eiffel Tower in 1911! And then there is the cat painted as from a folk tale near a very realistic and beautiful, delicate bouquet. Did you notice the heart in a blue hand?

This piece is a visual feast of color, texture, shape and juxtaposition and deserves all the accolades it has received over the years. In this piece and so many others, Marc Chagall has shown us his gratitude for the simple things of his love and dreams in profound and puzzling compositions. For his talented process, his inspiration and his wacky results, we say, “Thanks be to the God of all!”

In gratitude, faith and hope,

Sandy Prouty
Minister of Children and Families
Montview Church