Marc Chagall, Le Peintre, 1976
08 July 2025
Created in 1976, Le Peintre distils Chagall’s visual vocabulary into an intimate portrait of the artist as a dreamer and witness.
The composition is saturated with colour and structured across four distinct planes: a glowing red on the left, a sunlit yellow on the right, with deep green and cobalt blue anchoring the bottom. At the centre sits the painter himself, as if caught between different realms. One hand rests over his heart, a gesture of sincerity and emotion; the other lies near his tools, echoing the deep connection between feelings and artistic creation. Around him swirl characteristic motifs that are not mere decorations, but essential elements of Chagall’s symbolic landscape. In the blue section, a rooster, often associated with fertility and vitality, nods to the artist's Jewish heritage. In red, the lovers — ever-present in Chagall’s work — serve as idealised representations of passion and memory, likely echoing his enduring devotion to his wife Bella, who continued to inspire him long after her passing. The yellow section opens into a golden village under a crescent moon, perhaps a poetic fusion of his Russian hometown, and Paris, his adoptive city, with the faint silhouette of the Eiffel Tower. Emerging from the mature phase of Chagall’s career, the bold use of colour and the dreamlike composition of Le Peintrereflect the richness and confidence of his late artistic style. The painting’s vivid luminosity also echoes Chagall’s parallel explorations in stained glass during this period. His monumental commissions—such as the Peace Window (1964) for the United Nations, deepened his sensitivity to mosaic compositions, transparency and layering. These qualities are evident in the raw palette and multi-dimensional atmosphere of Le Peintre.
This painting is both a self-portrait and a declaration of artistic faith. Chagall presents himself not merely as an observer of dreams, but as their orchestrator. Holding his hand over his heart, the artist is guided by memory and the boundless realm of imagination.
Marc Chagall's Le Peintre is on view until the end of August in 'The Monaco Masters Show : Chagall & Léger, la couleur et la forme' at Opera Gallery Monaco.
