Marc Chagall Biography

Marc Chagall was a prominent Russian artist of the 20th century. Russian painting style had a great influence on him when he was studying painting under the guidance of Leon Bakst. At that time, he used to paint images by recollecting the memory of his childhood days. Some of his earlier painting works include ‘Hommage Apollinaire’, ‘The Fiddler’ and ‘Paris Through the Window’. Later, he expanded his artistic creations through painting, illustrations of books, making designs for stained glass and tapestries. The new Parliament in Jerusalem, the ceiling of the Grand Opera in Paris, the National Bank Building in Chicago and the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York bear the sign of his stunning design. During the World War II, he started living in the United States after leaving Nazi occupied Paris. Later, he expressed his horrible experience over the Nazi rise to power through his works on Jewish martyrs and refugees. Colours play a dominant part in his works. Influenced by the artistic quality of Fauvism and Cubism, he introduced his own innovative painting style. Considered as a pioneer of modernism, he was a recipient of several prestigious awards which included the Grand-Croix de la Legion d’honneur, the highest honour by the Government of France.