Marc Chagall (Modern Masters Series) - Hardcover

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) knew that he led a charmed existence. Like his famed floating figures, the artist managed to soar above the tragedies that threatened to engulf him, including the Russian Revolution and World War II. "He was blessed with limitless energy and self-confidence, with the resilience to survive trials, and with a readiness to find fulfillment in his work and in his love of those near to him," reports art historian Kagan ( Paul Klee: Art and Music ). In lucid, polished prose, Kagan reviews Chagall's experiences and achievements, from his childhood in the Russian town of Vitebsk to his glory days in France, and writes knowledgeably of the artist's dreamy, poetic images and his brilliance as a colorist. While noting that critics do not always admire Chagall's work, Kagan does not present their arguments (which often cite Chagall's sentimentality and tendency to rely on levitated animals and bouquets of flowers). The result is a text that sometimes waxes too glowing. Appended are a chronology of Chagall's life, a listing of his exhibitions and a chapter of his own comments on his oeuvre. Forty-eight color and 60 black-and-white reproductions demonstrate Chagall's mastery of many media--among them, painting, sculpture, mosaic and stained glass.
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