S: Hello Mr. Chagall. I am a student of SCPA and was wondering if I could take a few minutes of your time to ask a couple of question.
M: Why certainly! It would be my pleasure.
S: Thank you Sir, let's begin.
S: Can you describe for me the places you lived, and when during your career you lived there?
M: I was born in a small Russian town called Liozna in 1877; lovely place. I was born first of nine children which I personally was not fond of, being the eldest is more of burden than it sounds. In most of Russia at the time, there was much discrimination against Jews. I was a Jew, and so the first schools I attended were Jewish schools where I learned Hebrew and the Old Testament.
(The Art Story 2015)
I called this place home for many years, until I became interested in the arts of drawing and painting, at which point I left for different schools. During the time I was born, Russia was in a war with Turkey, to assist the Balkan nations win independence from the Ottoman empire, which they achieved. (Russo-Turkish War 2015)
S: Sounds like you had an awesome childhood. What events during your early life got you interested in the arts?
M: The earliest I can remember was during my schooling years. I took a very fond liking of copying the pictures out of books onto different paper. I loved this, and it was during those years that I decided I was going to pursue art as my career.(The Art Story 2015) My parents were against this decision, but I persisted and in 1906 I began my tutelage with a famous Russian portrait artist Yehuda Pen. He ran a private school in Vitebsk, specifically for Jews, that catered to students of drawing and painting. The tutoring was great, and I enjoyed the free education, however I still only stayed a few months.(BELARUS NEWSLETTER 2015)
Again in 1906 I moved to St. Petersburg to attend Zvantseva School of Drawing and Painting. While there I apprenticed under Leon Bakst, an artist and set designer. He was Jewish, and strongly encouraged me to display Jewish themes in my work. I took a lot from his teachings that stick with me till now. Both these men inspired me greatly as an artist. (Leon Bakst 2015)
S: That sounds amazing! What role did mentors play in helping you develop your artistic interests and talents?
M: Well as I mentioned before I had several instructors. I first learned of Yehuda Pen when riding a street car one day. While riding I saw a banner saying, "Artist Pen's School." I decided to try and attend his school, and I was accepted. His tutoring, as short as it was for me, greatly helped me with my artistic dream. He inspired me to bring Jewish themes into my work and I believe that if I had not been a Jew, I would not be an artist or would be a completely different artist.
(BELARUS NEWSLETTER 2015)
Leon Bakst was also a great help. Although I eventually left his teachings for Paris, which he strongly argued against, saying it would be harmful to my art and lead me to starvation.. how wrong he was, I learned a lot from him. He taught me of different styles of art, some of which I enjoyed and some of which I didn't. I appreciated everything he taught me, as I improved in many ways from it.
(Leon Bakst 2015)
S: What was the art world like in your field when you entered it?
M: Well, an art form known as cubism was just taking hold in France, which as I mentioned I moved to after my teachings, and so I aligned myself with this style and took several classes at a small art academy that I have forgotten the name of. Cubism was created by Pablo Picasso and was very influential at the time as I remember. (Pablo Picasso Biography 2015)
My earliest paintings I kept close to home, scenes from Vitebsk of village scenes, weddings, and fiddlers playing on roof tops were prevalent in my art. Later I began painting Parisian scenes as well. I liked painting differently, and added near-supernatural qualities to what I painted. I like to paint in a dreamlike fashion with people flying or floating, not a style you were used to seeing.
(The Art Story 2015)
S: Interesting, I like that you experimented with your work instead of sticking with the norms. How did the major cultural, economic and political situations of your time effect your work?
M: In 1914, I was giving an exhibition of some 200 works at Sturm Gallery, I never recovered these works. In this same year World War 1 erupted, and essentially trapped me and my new wife Bella in Russia. Not long after this, the Bolshevik Revolution occurred, which thrust me into the political post of Commissar of Art for Vitebsk, which went against my nonpolitical nature.
At this point my name had some worth, allowing me and my wife to travel through Europe and the Mediterranean. While traveling I formed a friendship with Ambroise Vollard, for which I created multiple religious works from the Old Testament. Tragically for me, World War 2 arrived not too far after, and the Nazis burned many of my works, however I was not killed. I was transported to New York in America. (The Famous People website 2015)
S: Wow, a lot was going on. What were your major accomplishments and the methods you used in your art.
M: I used a variety of methods for my paintings, which was not all I did. Cubism and Fauvism were a basis for my style of art, which was considered a pioneer in modernism. In addition to painting, I working in stain glass and stage design. I used color a lot in all my work, as I liked to show my creativity.
My major accomplishments with my art included a stain glass window named 'Peace' in honor of Dag Hammarskjold(Chagall's America Windows 2015), and three tapestries for the state hall of the Knesset in Israel, these tapestries also included 12 floor mosaics and a wall mosaic. I painted murals and did stain glass for many places, Jerusalem, Chicago, New York, Paris, and more.
S: You're everywhere! What where the main opportunities that led to turning points in your life and art?
M: The opportunity to work with the many artists I associated with, I think, led to turning points in my art. Through working with all these different people I gained new knowledge allowing me to change or improve who I painted, and what I painted. A great example of this is Pablo Picasso, who kept turning out new forms of art like cubism and fauvism that I used throughout my years as a painter, eventually combining them into my own art style.(Olga's Gallery 2015)
The opportunity to marry Bella, and the travel throughout Europe allowed for turning points in my life. After marrying Bella, and waiting out World War 1, we had out daughter Ida. Without Ida there is a great chance I would not have survived World War 2, as she helped organize my escape to America. Traveling through Europe gave me a chance to work with artists like Ambroise Vollard.
(World Almanac Library 2005)
S: Switching right from opportunities, what were some hardships or roadblocks that you had to overcome in order to be an artist,
M: Let me think, my earliest roadblock was my father's disapproval of my liking of art. Though a small detail, it took strength to overcome that. The main two issues after that were the wars. World War 1 caused a lot of disruption in my life, pushing me into a position of politics, Commissar for Fine Arts in Vitebsk and then director of the newly established Free Academy of Art.
After World War 1 ended, my life went on and I made progress in every way, even going out of painting to do Stain Glass and stage deign. However, World War II changed my life drastically and i'm lucky to have survived. As world war II began, my art was ordered to be burned because of it's Jewish qualities, and I myself was lucky enough, through the help of family and friends, to escape the terror of the Nazis, and begin again in America.(Olga's Gallery 2015)
S: Crazy. Do you have any personal stories that illustrate how you became successful in the arts?
M: I have one yes off the top of my head yes. My art had spread throughout Europe and apparently America, and my name had become known in some modern art circles. This allowed me to travel throughout Europe, and make friends that would help me grow as an artist.
While traveling through Europe, I met Ambroise Vollard who I worked with to create book illustrations and other creations. Working with him further spread my work through the form of books, and when I reached America during World War 2, I was already known even there.
(Marc Chagall 2005)
S: Finally, how did your work impact the world of art?
M: I believed I helped pioneer new forms of art, just as Picasso did. Although I based my art on the forms of Cubism, Fauvism and Surrealism, I never strictly stuck to them, and created my own unique stile of art. Many saw my art as, along with others, pioneering modernism.
I think I also greatly influenced, although never being myself, the surrealist form of art. My painting notably had floating or flying dreamlike landscaped, different from anything seen on Earth, and many found them influential.(The Famous People website 2015)
S: Well, that's all the questions I have for you. Thank you for your time.
M: My pleasure.
Work Cited
"Chagall's America Windows." The Art Institute of Chicago. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
http://www.artic.edu/exhibition/Chagall
While traveling through Europe, I met Ambroise Vollard who I worked with to create book illustrations and other creations. Working with him further spread my work through the form of books, and when I reached America during World War 2, I was already known even there.
(Marc Chagall 2005)
S: Finally, how did your work impact the world of art?
M: I believed I helped pioneer new forms of art, just as Picasso did. Although I based my art on the forms of Cubism, Fauvism and Surrealism, I never strictly stuck to them, and created my own unique stile of art. Many saw my art as, along with others, pioneering modernism.
I think I also greatly influenced, although never being myself, the surrealist form of art. My painting notably had floating or flying dreamlike landscaped, different from anything seen on Earth, and many found them influential.(The Famous People website 2015)
S: Well, that's all the questions I have for you. Thank you for your time.
M: My pleasure.
Work Cited
"Chagall's America Windows." The Art Institute of Chicago. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
http://www.artic.edu/exhibition/Chagall
Chagall, Marc, and Antony Mason. Marc Chagall. Milwaukee: World Almanac Library, 2005. Print.
"Pablo Picasso Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art Story. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-picasso-pablo.htm
"Russo-Turkish War (1877–78)." - War. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
http://www.rusartnet.com/russia/history/romanov/war/russo-turkish-war-1877%E2%80%9378
"Olga's Gallery." Marc Chagall. Biography. -. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
http://www.abcgallery.com/C/chagall/chagallbio.html
Carciente, Esther. "Marc Chagall." Jewish Virtual Library. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/chagall.html
"Marc Chagall." 2015. The Famous People website. Nov 8 2015, 07:43
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/marc-chagall-3372.php.
"Leon Bakst (Леон Бакст) (1866-1924)." Leon Bakst. Expert Art Authentication, Certificates of Authenticity and Expert Art Appraisals. Web. 9 Nov.2015. http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/bakst.php
"Yehuda M. Pen and His Disciples." BELARUS NEWSLETTER. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/newsletter/famous_jews_pen.htm
"Marc Chagall Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works."The Art Story . Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-chagall-marc.htm
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