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Lot Essay
SOLD WITH A PHOTO-CERTIFICATE FROM THE COMITé MARC CHAGALL, PARIS.
"FOR ME THE CIRCUS IS A MAGIC SHOW WHICH APPEARS AND DISAPPEARS LIKE A WORLD. A CIRCUS IS DISTURBING, IT IS PROFOUND... IT IS A MAGIC WORD. THE CIRCUS IS A TIMELESS GAME WHERE TEARS AND SMILES, THE PLAY OF ARMS AND LEGS TAKE THE FORM OF GREAT ART." (CHAGALL CITED IN EXH. CAT., PIERRE MATISSE GALLERY, NEW YORK LE CIRQUE, 1981).
FOR CHAGALL, THE CIRCUS WAS AN EXCITING "OTHER" WORLD THAT ADHERED TO ITS OWN RULES AND LAWS VERY MUCH LIKE THE DREAM REALITY HE CREATED IN HIS PAINTINGS. AS SIDNEY ALEXANDER HAS WRITTEN, THE ALLURE OF THE CIRCUS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE LIVES OF MANY ARTISTS BUT WAS PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE AS A THEME IN CHAGALL'S WORK: "FOR CHAGALL, AS INDEED FOR ROUAULT, PICASSO AND SO MANY OTHERS, THE CIRCUS IS A CENTRAL METAPHOR AS WELL AS A SUGGESTIVE KALEIDOSCOPE OF FORMS AND COLOURS. IS HE [CHAGALL] NOT AFTER ALL THE ARTIST OF THE PERPETUAL TRAPEZE ACTS? AND LONG BEFORE HE TACKLED THE LITERAL SUBJECT, WHAT ELSE WERE HIS JEWS FLYING OVER VITEBSK, HIS LEVITATING LOVERS, HIS UPSIDE DOWN TREES AND SLANTING EIFFEL TOWERS BUT A METAPHYSICAL CIRCUS?" (S. ALEXANDER, MARC CHAGALL, NEW YORK, P. 435).
"FOR ME THE CIRCUS IS A MAGIC SHOW WHICH APPEARS AND DISAPPEARS LIKE A WORLD. A CIRCUS IS DISTURBING, IT IS PROFOUND... IT IS A MAGIC WORD. THE CIRCUS IS A TIMELESS GAME WHERE TEARS AND SMILES, THE PLAY OF ARMS AND LEGS TAKE THE FORM OF GREAT ART." (CHAGALL CITED IN EXH. CAT., PIERRE MATISSE GALLERY, NEW YORK LE CIRQUE, 1981).
FOR CHAGALL, THE CIRCUS WAS AN EXCITING "OTHER" WORLD THAT ADHERED TO ITS OWN RULES AND LAWS VERY MUCH LIKE THE DREAM REALITY HE CREATED IN HIS PAINTINGS. AS SIDNEY ALEXANDER HAS WRITTEN, THE ALLURE OF THE CIRCUS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE LIVES OF MANY ARTISTS BUT WAS PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE AS A THEME IN CHAGALL'S WORK: "FOR CHAGALL, AS INDEED FOR ROUAULT, PICASSO AND SO MANY OTHERS, THE CIRCUS IS A CENTRAL METAPHOR AS WELL AS A SUGGESTIVE KALEIDOSCOPE OF FORMS AND COLOURS. IS HE [CHAGALL] NOT AFTER ALL THE ARTIST OF THE PERPETUAL TRAPEZE ACTS? AND LONG BEFORE HE TACKLED THE LITERAL SUBJECT, WHAT ELSE WERE HIS JEWS FLYING OVER VITEBSK, HIS LEVITATING LOVERS, HIS UPSIDE DOWN TREES AND SLANTING EIFFEL TOWERS BUT A METAPHYSICAL CIRCUS?" (S. ALEXANDER, MARC CHAGALL, NEW YORK, P. 435).