Chagall and The Crucifixion
The Marc Chagall exhibit, Love, War, and Exile, currently on display at The Jewish Museum of New York, focuses on works from a relatively obscure time in Chagall’s illustrious career. Born in Russia on July 6th 1887, Marc Chagall quickly became a respected painter. By the time he was 25, he fled Russia for Paris to avoid the Pogroms that were brought about by the Bolshevik Revolution. While in Paris, Chagall flourished and his creative spirit soared but by 1940, with World War II charging ahead, Chagall moved to the South of France hoping to avoid the horrors that the Nazi regime brought upon the Jews. Ultimately, he did not last very long there and in 1941 he arrived in the United States and eventually reestablished himself as a world- class artist.
In the United States Chagall continued to create one of a kind paintings that morphed and adapted to his new psycho-emotional state. As Chagall was “hiding” safely here in New York, the destruction and annihilation of his people in Europe deeply affected his works. His paintings became darker and deeper than ever before. Chagall’s 1943 painting, The War, is a classic example of one such work; it exhibits the poor Jewish Shtetl in utter destruction. As Chagall’s life began to settle here in America, his works continued to be influenced by the news from Europe.
Over the next few years, Chagall became consumed with an entirely different motif than his previous works – the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Many experts believe this interest stemmed from Chagall’s belief “that no other image was powerful enough to convey his profound distress at the annihilation of European Jewry (Goodman).” In other words, Chagall believed that by equating the struggles of European Jewry to the crucifixion of Christ, he could appeal to Christians and encourage them to help save the horror stricken Jews. In fact, the use of crucifixion imagery in Chagall’s work was so common that in one room of the exhibit there were nineteen paintings depicting Jesus and the crucifixion. What is perhaps most interesting, is that Chagall chose to depict Jesus in a series of opposing forms. Jesus was sometimes shown wearing the ceremonial Jewish “tallit”, other times he was adorned with a Christian halo, and occasionally he was completely secularized. These works included colorful paintings and colorless drawings on both canvas and paper. Yet, regardless of the medium, they all used Jesus and the crucifixion as the underlying theme.
When I asked the girl next to me what she thought of the exhibit she pointed out that with many people trying to walk through the room on such a busy Sunday afternoon, the central couch was a major blockade. She noted that “the couch in the center of the room is in the exact shape of a cross” something that was clearly purposeful. This massive couch incorporated the viewer into the experience of the crucifixion. As viewers sat upon a cross and took in these crucifixion images, they became a part of the art.
As the war came to a close, Chagall began reworking many of paintings that his daughter Ida had brought from Europe many years earlier. Although the war had ended, his works remained similarly dark and ominous. In 1944, Chagall’s beloved wife Bella suddenly died. This trauma put Chagall into a deep state of depression and caused him to put his painting on hold.
When he once again returned to the easel, Chagall’s works remained somber and depressed in Bella’s memory. As Chagall’s suffering continued, his daughter Ida decided to hire a woman named Virginia to care for him. After some time Virginia became his new muse and together they had a son named David. As the happiness of finding love and bearing a child struck Chagall, color began to return to work and his suffering dwindled. Some of his most important American works were painted during this time before he and a Virginia moved back to France.
While perusing the last and largest room of the exhibition, there was a series of alluring pieces. The classic portrait of Bella, entitled Bella In Green, was not at all indicative of Chagall’s classic style. However, this aesthetically pleasing portrait shed light onto Chagall’s true talent. He could paint in a series of different styles that were each beautiful in their own way. As my tour of the exhibit was coming to a close I noticed one more fascinating artifact. On a small table in the center of the room was Bella’s sketchbook. After she died, as a lasting tribute to their love and mutual bond, Chagall began to draw sketches of the two of them on its blank pages.
As I was leaving the exhibit, I began to reflect upon what I had learned that day. Marc Chagall’s life was full of hardship and suffering which greatly impacted his works. Chagall’s work on the crucifixion addressed a major taboo topic in traditional Judaism. Prior to Chagall’s works with the crucifixion it was almost unheard of for a Jew to explore the world of Jesus. As time has gone on, this taboo has almost disappeared from most circles. I would argue that Chagall paved the way for the acceptance of crucifixion imagery to by utilized by modern Jewish artists.
When contemplating why The Jewish Museum would choose to display Marc Chagall’s works now, one need not look further than today’s news headlines. As the threat of a nuclear Iran rapidly approaches, it can be argued that The Jewish Museum is using Chagall’s works on crucifixion as a way of showing that the threat of another Jewish Holocaust is possible. Perhaps they are using the works to yet again appeal to the Christian world to reconsider and help defend Israel and the Jews against a nuclear attack. As far as why this exhibit is in New York, one must consider that New York is and has always been the epicenter of American society. So, what better place is there to exhibit the Jewish plight in the twenty-first century than here in New York City?
Works Cited
Tumarkin Goodman, Susan. “Chagall Love, War, and Exile.” (n.d.): n. pag.
