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| WFU
#50
Marc Chagall (Russian 1887-1985) from
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WFU
#51
Marc Chagall (Russian 1887-1985) from
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| Paradise
and Job in Despair were published by Verve in the summer
of 1960. They are two of the twenty-four color lithographs that Chagall
designed for the book, Dessins pour la Bible, which he completed
in 1958-1959. In addition, there were also ninety-six black and white illustrations
and a book cover. This series should not be confused with the series of
etchings that Chagall did from 1930 to 1955 for his illustrated Bible,
although the prints in the latter series did deal with issues not covered
in the first.1
Chagall probably gained his interest in Biblical material from his birthplace. He was born in Vitebsk, Russia, and remained there until he left to study art in St. Petersburg. Vitebsk was a city rich in the Jewish-Russian heritage, and Chagall spent his formative years in the atmosphere of the churches, synagogues, and shops. Their influence appeared in his art throughout his life. Taken together, Paradise and Job in Despair are excellent indicators of the tone and spirit of Dessins pour la Bible. The illustrations combine to create a single vision of the Biblical text. The harmonious use of the painterly and the graphic elements, and the use of color against black and white, makes the publication one of Chagall's finest collections.2 The illustrations for Dessins pour la Bible generally deal with two questions: woman's contribution to biblical history and the struggle with nature.3 Both themes are central to the prints in the Wake Forest collection. Paradise illustrates the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In this very well-known event, Eve tempted Adam with an apple from the only tree that God had denied to them. God had explicitely told Adam that if he ate from the fruit, he would lose his chance of immortality and thus die. At this point in the story, Eve takes some of the fruit, eats it, and gives it to her husband. Satan, the enemy, is shown by Chagall to be a goat or an ox. and is colored green, the color that symbolizes anger, deviousness and envy. The sense of impending woe is enhanced by the use of muted complementary colors which create a certain amount of luminosity and tension. An umber wash may signify earth, or perhaps disgust. The second lithograph, Job in Despair, depicts Job dismayed because his faith in God has been questioned. As the proof of his faithfulness, he must survive the test of pain. Chagall captures Job turning his back on the messenger who is delivering yet another trial, and Job, with hand in mouth, questions once again, "Why me? I am a pious man!" Chagall uses the same muted colors to capture the feeling of tension and dissonance. He also uses sparkling but muted color washes of delicate earth tones which fuse together as if they have been glazed on. Swirls dominate Job in Despair, drawing the viewer's eye up and around the face of Job.4 The ochres, browns, deep reds, purples and vivid greens seen in this print also characterize the other prints of the series. Chagall renders both of the lithographs in wonderfully painterly strokes, using ink washes as he would use paint on a canvas. B.H. 1.
Anthonioz, 1987, 25, 291, 333.
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