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Lot Essay
The Comité Chagall has confirmed the authenticity of this painting.
Le petit cirque bleu is a richly executed and evocative rendering of a subject which lies at the heart of Chagall's personal mythology and constitutes one of the most important themes of his art. Chagall had strong childhood memories of exciting and fleeting visits of the circus to his hometown, Vitebsk, and later used this wealth of visual imagery to evoke the temporary and thrilling world of the circus in his work: 'It is in the circus that eccentricity and simplicity blend most naturally' (Chagall, quoted in J. Baal-Teshuva (ed.), Chagall: A Retrospective, Westport, 1995, p. 324).
It was in the late 1920s, as Chagall was finishing a series of gouaches for Ambroise Vollard based on the fables of La Fontaine, that Vollard invited Chagall and his daughter Ida to the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris. At Vollard's suggestion Chagall executed a second series of 19 gouaches on the theme of the circus, many of them based on sketches he made in Vollard's private box. The variety of characters and poses in these works were to become elements of Chagall's visual vocabulary that he returned to on many occasions throughout his career.
In Le petit cirque bleu, Chagall recaptures the mystery and chaos of the circus of his childhood, encapsulating all his condensed memories and creating an intense and intoxicating vision. The predominant blue colour and frenetic energy of the scene perfectly describe the artist's own enjoyment of the circus, but also serve to transport the viewer into this magical, ephemeral world. For Chagall, the circus was a part of his life, an ingrained feature in his visual imagination: 'These clowns, bareback riders and acrobats have made themselves at home in my visions. Why? Why am I so touched by their make-up and their grimaces? With them I can move toward new horizons. Lured by their colors and make-up, I dream of painting new psychic distortions... It is a magic word, circus, a timeless dancing game where tears and smiles, the play of arms and legs take the form of a great art' (Chagall, quoted in ibid., p. 195).
Le petit cirque bleu is a richly executed and evocative rendering of a subject which lies at the heart of Chagall's personal mythology and constitutes one of the most important themes of his art. Chagall had strong childhood memories of exciting and fleeting visits of the circus to his hometown, Vitebsk, and later used this wealth of visual imagery to evoke the temporary and thrilling world of the circus in his work: 'It is in the circus that eccentricity and simplicity blend most naturally' (Chagall, quoted in J. Baal-Teshuva (ed.), Chagall: A Retrospective, Westport, 1995, p. 324).
It was in the late 1920s, as Chagall was finishing a series of gouaches for Ambroise Vollard based on the fables of La Fontaine, that Vollard invited Chagall and his daughter Ida to the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris. At Vollard's suggestion Chagall executed a second series of 19 gouaches on the theme of the circus, many of them based on sketches he made in Vollard's private box. The variety of characters and poses in these works were to become elements of Chagall's visual vocabulary that he returned to on many occasions throughout his career.
In Le petit cirque bleu, Chagall recaptures the mystery and chaos of the circus of his childhood, encapsulating all his condensed memories and creating an intense and intoxicating vision. The predominant blue colour and frenetic energy of the scene perfectly describe the artist's own enjoyment of the circus, but also serve to transport the viewer into this magical, ephemeral world. For Chagall, the circus was a part of his life, an ingrained feature in his visual imagination: 'These clowns, bareback riders and acrobats have made themselves at home in my visions. Why? Why am I so touched by their make-up and their grimaces? With them I can move toward new horizons. Lured by their colors and make-up, I dream of painting new psychic distortions... It is a magic word, circus, a timeless dancing game where tears and smiles, the play of arms and legs take the form of a great art' (Chagall, quoted in ibid., p. 195).