Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is acclaimed worldwide for his colourful and poetic paintings, in which memory, imagination and spirituality converge. Less well known is the extraordinary diversity of his artistic practice. Chagall was not only a painter, but also a printmaker, ceramicist and sculptor, and a designer of tapestries, stained glass, theatre sets and costumes.
This richly illustrated book sheds light on this lesser-known aspect of his work, focusing on Chagall's distinctive relationship with materials, techniques and craft traditions. He drew inspiration from the folk and religious art of his native Russia, from centuries-old Mediterranean traditions and from the Mexican crafts he encountered during his stay in Mexico. For Chagall, these objects were more than sources of inspiration: they carried memories, cultural traditions and centuries of craftsmanship, which he transformed and reinvented through his own visual language.

At the same time, Chagall continually explored the artistic possibilities of a wide range of materials. Glass, ceramics, textiles, stone and paper became artistic media in their own right, each presenting its own technical challenges and expressive possibilities. He worked closely with master glassmakers, ceramicists, weavers, lithographers and other specialist craftspeople. Their knowledge and skills, rooted in centuries-old traditions, became an integral part of the creative process.
Through numerous artworks, designs, preparatory studies, tools and partly unpublished archival material, the book offers a revealing insight into Chagall's working methods. It shows how his exceptional imagination was nourished by a constant dialogue with materials, techniques and living craft traditions.
What emerges is a multifaceted artist for whom painting never stood alone, but formed part of a much broader artistic quest in which art and craft, tradition and experimentation were inextricably linked.