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Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

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Period: Mid-20th Century
"Red Devil" from "Los Animales" Portfolio, Collagraph signed by Joseph Rozman
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Red Devil" is an original color collagraph from the "Los Animales" portfolio by Joseph Rozman. The artist signed, dated, titled, and editioned the artwork below the image. It is num...
Category

Pop Art Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Color, Pigment

"Animal Farm" from 'Los Animales Portfolio, " Collagraph signed by Joseph Rozman
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Animal Farm" is an original color collagraph by Joseph Rozman. This artwork, edition number 9/10, is from the artist's "Los Animales" portfolio. The artis...
Category

Pop Art Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Color, Pigment

Wassily Kandinsky - Composition - Woodcut
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Wassily Kandinsky - Composition - Original Woodcut Condition: excellent 32 x 24 cm 1959 Published by XXe siècle, San Lazzaro Printed signature (monogram) in the plate Unnumbered as i...
Category

Abstract Geometric Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Jean Dulac (1902-1968) - 1955 Monotype, Tête de Faune
Located in Corsham, GB
A striking etching depicting the head of a faun in monochrome. Signed and dated in graphite. Presented in a gilt frame. On paper.
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Monotype

"Pax Peter A/P, " Lithograph signed by Peter Dahlke
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Pax Peter" is a lithograph by Peter Dahlke. The artist signed the piece lower right, wrote the edition (Artist's Proof) lower center, and titled it lower left in pencil. This piece depicts two abstract, amorphous forms in green, blue, yellow, and brown. 11" x 16 1/8" art 15 5/8" x 18 1/2" frame His work sometimes makes use of symbolism which is frequently rather obtuse in its allusions to art history. The boxes he manufactures are constructed from reclaimed antique pipe organ...
Category

Abstract Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

"After The Race" c1951 MUNNINGS, Sir Alfred
Located in Bristol, CT
A "Homelovers" print By permission of the Southampton Corporation, owners of the original painting Published by Frost & Reed London Art Sz: 20 1/4"H x 25 3/4"W Frame Sz: 27 1/2"H x...
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Goût de Bonheur: one plate (Joy Portrait)
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Artist: Pablo Picasso (after) Medium: lithograph, Arches paper Portfolio: Le Goût de Bonheur Year: 1970 Edition: Total of 1998 copies (666 each in German, French and English), reprod...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Jean Cocteau - Torero's Son - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Original Lithograph by Jean Cocteau Title: Torero's Son 1961 printed signature in the stone Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm Lithograph made for the portfolio "Gitans et Corridas" p...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Jacques Villon (after) - Homage to Dufy - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) Jacques Villon Lithograph after a watercolor, published in the book "Lettre à mon peintre Raoul Dufy." Paris, Librairie Académique Perrin, 1965. Printed signature...
Category

Fauvist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Raoul Dufy (after) - Autoportrait - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) Raoul Dufy Lithograph after a watercolor, published in the book "Lettre à mon peintre Raoul Dufy." Paris, Librairie Académique Perrin, 1965. Printed signature Dimensions: ...
Category

Fauvist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

"Be Extra Alert on Rainy Days, " Color Lithograph Poster by Isadore Seltzer
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Be Extra Alert on Rainy Days" is a color lithograph poster drawn by Isadore Seltzer for the Wisconsin Division of the American Automobile Association. It depicts two yellow ducks on...
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Color, Lithograph

"Man's Best Friend" Original Color Collagraph signed by Joseph Rozman
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Man's Best Friend" is an original color collograph in blue and red by Joseph Rozman. It depicts an animal in red on the right and a figure among abstract shapes in blue on the left....
Category

Surrealist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Color

Still Life - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) Raoul Dufy Lithograph after a watercolor, published in the book "Lettre à mon peintre Raoul Dufy." Paris, Librairie Académique Perrin, 1965. Printed signature Di...
Category

Fauvist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Charles Lapicque (after) - Homage to Dufy - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Charles Lapicque Original Handsigned Lithograph Dimensions: 56 x 38 cm Edition: Epreuve d'Artiste Hand Signed Charles Lapicque was one of the great painters of the “Ecole de Paris...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Raoul Dufy (after) - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) Raoul Dufy Lithograph after a watercolor, published in the book "Lettre à mon peintre Raoul Dufy." Paris, Librairie Académique Perrin, 1965. Printed signature Di...
Category

Fauvist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Concert - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) Raoul Dufy Lithograph after a watercolor, published in the book "Lettre à mon peintre Raoul Dufy." Paris, Librairie Académique Perrin, 1965. Printed signature Di...
Category

Fauvist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Leo Browne Color Etching, Pencil Signed - Green Parrot and Butterfly
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Beautiful color etching by Leo Browne. Created circa 1930's and 1940's. Image size: 14 x 11 inches. Sheet size: 19 5/8 x 15 1/4 The print is in excellent condition and presents in a ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Paper

Marino Marini - Horses - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Marino Marini - Horses - Original Lithograph 1951 Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm From the art review XXe siècle Unsigned and unumbered as issued
Category

Surrealist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Enrico Baj - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Enrico Baj - Original Lithograph Colorful Abstraction 1962 From the art revue XXe Siecle Dimensions: 32 x 24 Edition: G. di San Lazzaro. Unsigned and unumbered as issued
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Giuseppe Capogrossi - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Giuseppe Capogrossi - Original Lithograph Colorful Abstraction 1969 From the art revue XXe Siecle Dimensions: 19 x 12.25 inches Edition: G. di San ...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Jean Lurçat (after) - Homage to Dufy - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) Jean Lurçat Lithograph after a watercolor, published in the book "Lettre à mon peintre Raoul Dufy." Paris, Librairie Académique Perrin, 1965. Printed signature Dimensions: ...
Category

Fauvist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Max Ernst - Birds - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Max Ernst - Birds - Original Lithograph Birds, 1964 (BNF, 63) Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm Revue Art de France ax Ernst was born in Bruhl, a place near Cologne, in Germany. He was raised in a strict Catholic family, and both of his parents were disciplinarians who were dedicated to training their children into God-fearing and talented individuals. Although his father was deaf, Ernst learned so much from him, particularly when it comes to painting. In fact, much of his early years were lived under the inspiration of his father who was also a teacher. He was the one who introduced painting to Ernst at an early age. In 1914, Ernst attended the University of Bonn where he studied philosophy. However, he eventually dropped out of school because he was more interested in the arts. He claimed that his primary sources of interest included anything that had something to do with painting. Moreover, he became fascinated with psychology, among other subjects in school. Primarily, Ernst's love for painting was the main reason why he became deeply interested with this craft and decided to pursue it later on in his life. During his early years, he became familiar with the works of some of the greatest artists of all time including Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh. He was also drawn to themes such as fantasy and dream imagery, which were among the common subjects of the works of Giorgio de Chirico. During World War I, Ernst was forced to join the German Army, and he became a part of the artillery division that exposed him greatly to the drama of warfare. A soldier in the War, Ernst emerged deeply traumatized and highly critical of western culture. These charged sentiments directly fed into his vision of the modern world as irrational, an idea that became the basis of his artwork. Ernst's artistic vision, along with his humor and verve come through strongly in his Dada and Surrealists works; Ernst was a pioneer of both movements. It was Ernst's memories of the war and his childhood that helps him create absurd, yet interesting scenes in his artworks. Soon, he took his passion for the arts seriously when he returned to Germany after the war. With Jean Arp, a poet and artist, Ernst formed a group for artists in Cologne. He also developed a close relationship with fellow artists in Paris who propagated Avant-Garde artworks. In 1919, Ernst started creating some of his first collages, where he made use of various materials including illustrated catalogs and some manuals that produced a somewhat futuristic image. His unique masterpieces allowed Ernst to create his very own world of dreams and fantasy, which eventually helped heal his personal issues and trauma. In addition to painting and creating collages, Ernst also edited some journals. He also made a few sculptures that were rather queer in appearance. In 1920s, influenced by the writings of psychologist Sigmund Freud, the literary, intellectual, and artistic movement called Surrealism sought a revolution against the constraints of the rational mind; and by extension, they saw the rules of a society as oppressive. Surrealism also embraces a Marxist ideology that demands an orthodox approach to history as a product of the material interaction of collective interests, and many renown Surrealism artists later on became 20th century Counterculture symbols such as Marxist Che Guevara. In 1922 Ernst moved to Paris, where the surrealists were gathering around Andre Breton. In 1923 Ernst finished Men Shall Know Nothing of This, known as the first Surrealist painting. Ernst was one of the first artists who apply The Interpretation of Dreams by Freud to investigate his deep psyche in order to explore the source of his own creativity. While turning inwards unto himself, Ernst was also tapping into the universal unconscious with its common dream imagery. Despite his strange styles, Ernst gained quite a reputation that earned him some followers throughout his life. He even helped shape the trend of American art during the mid-century, thanks to his brilliant and extraordinary ideas that were unlike those of other artists during his time. Ernst also became friends with Peggy Guggenheim, which inspired him to develop close ties with the abstract expressionists. When Ernst lived in Sedona, he became deeply fascinated with the Southwest Native American navajo art. In fact, the technique used in this artwork inspired him and paved the way for him to create paintings that depicted this style. Thus, Ernst became a main figure of this art technique, including the rituals and spiritual traditions included in this form of art. Pollock, aside from the other younger generations of abstract expressionists, was also inspired by sand painting of the Southwest...
Category

Surrealist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Gôut du Bonheur: one plate
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Artist: Pablo Picasso (after) Medium: lithograph, Arches paper Portfolio: Le Goût de Bonheur Year: 1970 Edition: Total of 1998 copies (666 each in German, French and English), reprod...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

André Marchand (after) - Homage to Dufy - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) André Marchand Lithograph after a watercolor, published in the book "Lettre à mon peintre Raoul Dufy." Paris, Librairie Académique P...
Category

Fauvist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Alfred Manessier - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Alfred Manessier - Lithograph 1962 From the art periodical XXe Siecle (no. 20) Dimensions: 32 x 24 Edition: G. di San Lazzaro. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Death of Faithful - Horses from Pilgrim’s Progress
Located in London, GB
Striking first proof of Péri’s “Death of Faithful”, from his Pilgrim’s Progress etchings. Inscribed “first proof”. Artist: Peter László Péri Date: 1...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Paper, Etching

Marino Marini - Knight - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Marino Marini - Knight - Original Lithograph 1968 Dimensions: 32 x 48 cm From the art review XXe siècle Unsigned and unumbered as issued
Category

Surrealist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Femme au bouquet de fleurs (Lady with Flower Bouquet)
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
This vintage color lithograph on paper is after a watercolor by Marc Chagall titled Femme au bouquet de fleurs (Lady with Flower Bouquet). Signed on ...
Category

Surrealist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Alfred Manessier - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Alfred Manessier - Original Lithograph Colorful Abstraction 1962 From XXe Siecle Dimensions: 32 x 24 Edition: G. di San Lazzaro. Unsigned and unumbered as issued
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Autoportrait - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) Raoul Dufy Lithograph after a watercolor, published in the book "Lettre à mon peintre Raoul Dufy." Paris, Librairie Académique Perrin, 1965. Printed signature Di...
Category

Fauvist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Goût de Bonheur: one plate (Croquis)
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Artist: Pablo Picasso (after) Medium: lithograph, Arches paper Portfolio: Le Goût de Bonheur Year: 1970 Edition: Total of 1998 copies (666 each in G...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

MAMELOUK ENLEVANT UNE FEMME, ATTAQUE PAR UN MOUSQUETAIRE (BLOCH 1586)
Located in Aventura, FL
Aquatint on wove paper. Hand signed and numbered by Pablo Picasso. Plate 106, from the serie "347 gravures" (B. 1586; BA. 1602 II B b 1). Published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris. ...
Category

Cubist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Paper, Engraving

Millbrook Steeplechase 1930 by Paul Brown for The Derrydale Press
Located in Bristol, CT
Paul Desmond Brown (1893-1958) Millbrook Steeplechase proof-plate from The Derrydale Press book Gentlemen Up pub. 1930 Print Sz: 14 5/8"H x 8 1/4"W F...
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Paper

Maurice Estève - Composition - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Maurice Estève - Composition - Original Lithograph Colorful Abstraction 1969 From the art review XXe Siecle Dimensions: 32 x 24 inches Edition: G. di Sa...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

LA TAILLE DOUCE
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on paper. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. From the edition of 100. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity included. All reasonabl...
Category

Abstract Expressionist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

The Water Jump In The Grand National Of 1931 At Aintree By Paul Brown
Located in Bristol, CT
Art Sz: 16 1/4"H x 23 1/2"W Frame Sz: 17 3/4"H x 25"W A color plate made especially for Polo Magazine, Inc. The Water Jump In The Grand National Of 1931 At Aintree: The Riderless ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Deer Les cerfs - Chinese Abstract Animals Deers
Located in London, GB
This lithograph in colours is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Zao Wou-Ki" in Chinese and Pinyin at the lower left margin. It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of ...
Category

Abstract Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Pig Sticking by Orovida Pissarro, 1931 - Etching Print
Located in London, GB
SOLD UNFRAMED Pig Sticking by Orovida Pissarro (1893 - 1968) Etching 17.3 x 27.4 cm (6 ¾ x 10 ¾ inches) Signed and dated lower right Orovida 1931 Numbered lower left 26/50 and titl...
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Etching

MALARDS
Located in Portland, ME
Harvey, Florence D. MALLARDS. Etching 6 3/4 x 5 in. Titled and signed in pencil.
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Etching

Two Polo Players
Located in Bristol, CT
Stylish equestrian image of two polo players attacking the ball Hand-coloured lithograph 1930s Art Sz: 23 3/4"H x 17 1/2"W Frame Sz: 31"H x 24 3/4"W w...
Category

Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Rupert Rides by Orovida Pissarro - Animal etching
Located in London, GB
*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 20% VAT ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE Rupert Rides by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Etching 31 x 23.5 cm (12 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches) Signed and dated lower righ...
Category

Post-Impressionist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Etching

Rooster
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Charles Pachter is one of the most collected and cherished Canadian artists. His iconic, uplifting and patriotic images have independently earned their place in the nation's museum...
Category

Pop Art Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

"Brahma vs. Leghorn, " Farm Scene Wood Engraving by Howard Thomas
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Brahma vs. Leghorn" is an original wood engraving by Howard Thomas. In front of an understated farm house, Brahma and Leghorn face off, ready to battle. An unidentified plant sits on the center. Image: 6" x 7.44" Framed: 13.75" x 15.18 Thomas Howard (1899-1971) born a Quaker in Ohio, trained in the Midwest at Ohio State University and the Chicago Art Institute. He taught in the Art Department of the Milwaukee State Teachers College (now University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) where he became good friends with Carl Holty, Edward Boerner, Robert von Neumann...
Category

American Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Charles Pachter "Good Night to the Rooster"
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Charles Pachter is one of the most collected and cherished Canadian artists. His iconic, uplifting and patriotic images have independently earned their place in museums across the ...
Category

Abstract Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Giclée

Antoni Clavé - Original Lithograph - For Pushkin's Queen of Spades
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Antoni Clavé - Original Lithograph - For Alexander Pushkin's Queen of Spades Dimensions: 325 x 247 mm. 1946 Original lithograph of Antoni Clavé Edition: 300 The Queen of Spades. Tr...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

The Calf by Orovida Pissarro - Watercolour and etching
Located in London, GB
*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 20% VAT ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE The Calf by Orovida Pissarro (1893-1968) Watercolour, hand-coloured over an etching 17.5 x 23.2 cm (6 ⅞ x 9 ⅛ inc...
Category

Post-Impressionist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Etching

Oiseau Bistre
Located in Castle Cary, GB
Provenance: “John Richardson: A Scholar Collects” was a sale held at Sothebys in December 2020. A unique collection of more than 50 paintings, works on paper, sculptures, and prints ...
Category

Abstract Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Char noir (Char V) - Etching, Greek, Mythology, Acient, Horse, Chariot
Located in Köln, DE
Etching and aquatint in colour "Char noir (Char V)" (Black Chariot, Chariot V) by Georges Braque from 1958. The edition on BFK RIVES comprises approx. 75 copies. The present copy...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Etching, Color, Aquatint

Poissons volants bleus - Modern, Woodcut, Abstract, Animal, Blue
Located in Köln, DE
"Poissons volants bleus" (Blue flying fish) by Georges Braque from Guillaume Apollinaire's “Si je mourais là-bas” (If I die there). The portfolio was published on the occasion of Geo...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Oiseau de nuit noir - Modern, Woodcut, Bird, Night
Located in Köln, DE
"Oiseau de nuit noir" (Bird of the black night) by Georges Braque from Guillaume Apollinaire's “Si je mourais là-bas” (If I die there). The portfolio was published on the occasion of...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Migration - Modern, Colour Aquatint, Birds
Located in Köln, DE
Fascinated by an experience in the Camargue bird sanctuary in 1955, the bird became a symbol of freedom and harmony for Georges Braque. ‘I now only draw birds, after my still lifes h...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

La bibliothèque est en feu (René Char) - Modern, Colour Aquatint, Birds, Blue
Located in Köln, DE
Fascinated by an experience in the Camargue bird sanctuary in 1955, the bird became a symbol of freedom and harmony for Georges Braque. ‘I now only draw birds, after my still lifes h...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Aquatint, Etching

Woman, Clown and Monkey
Located in New York, NY
Pablo Picasso’s Woman, Clown, and Monkey, a lithograph published by Verve in 1954, exemplifies the artist’s ability to distill complex emotions and narratives into strikingly simple ...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

"Les trois oiseaux en vol"
Located in Köln, DE
One of the main motifs in Georges Braques late printmaking oeuvre is the bird. By depicting the bird as itself or the flight of birds, Braque found what he called the "still life of ...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Aquatint

no title / "Oiseau bleu"
Located in Köln, DE
One of the main motifs in Georges Braques late printmaking oeuvre is the bird. By depicting the bird as itself or the flight of birds, Braque found what he called the "still life of ...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Aquatint

"Insect, Simulating Seeds" Important color lithograph.
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Insect, Simulating Seeds" from the suite "Bestiary and some Correspondences" 1968 is an original lithograph on Arches paper by renown British artist Graham Vivia...
Category

Surrealist Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Christ a l'Horloge, Paris
Located in Missouri, MO
Marc Chagall "Le Christ a l'Horloge, Paris" (Christ in the Clock) 1957 (M. 196) Color Lithograph on Arches Wove Paper Signed in Pencil "Marc Chagall" Lower Right Initialed "H.C." (Hors Commerce) Lower Left, aside from numbered edition of 90 *Floated in Gold Frame with Linen Matting, UV Plexiglass Sheet Size: 18 3/4 x 14 3/4 inches (47.5 cm x 38 cm) Image Size: 9 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches Framed Size: 28.5 x 24.25 inches Marc Chagall was a man of keen intelligence, a shrewd observer of the contemporary scene, with a great sympathy for human suffering. He was born on July 7, 1887 in Vitebsk, Russia; his original name was Moishe Shagal (Segal), but when he became a foremost member of the Ecole de Paris, he adopted French citizenship and the French spelling of his name. Vitebsk was a good-sized Russian town of over 60,000, not a shtetl. His father supported a wife and eight children as a worker in a herring-pickling plant. Sheltered by the Jewish commandment against graven images, the young Chagall never saw so much as a drawing until, one day, he watched a schoolmate copying a magazine illustration. He was ridiculed for his astonishment, but he began copying and improvising from magazines. Both Chagall's parents reluctantly agreed to let him study with Yehuda Pen, a Jewish artist in Vitebsk. Later, in 1906, they allowed their son to study in St. Petersburg, where he was exposed to Russian Iconography and folk art. At that time, Jews could leave the Pale only for business and employment and were required to carry a permit. Chagall, who was in St. Petersburg without a permit, was imprisoned briefly. His first wife, Bella Rosenfeld, was a product of a rich cultivated and intellectual group of Jews in Vitebsk. Chagall was made commissar for the arts for the area, charged with directing its cultural life and establishing an art school. Russian folklore, peasant life and landscapes persisted in his work all his life. In 1910 a rich patron, a lawyer named Vinaver, staked him to a crucial trip to Paris, where young artists were revolutionizing art. He also sent him a handsome allowance of 125 francs (in those days about $24) each month. Chagall rejected cubism, fauvism and futurism, but remained in Paris. He found a studio near Montparnasse in a famous twelve-sided wooden structure divided into wedge-shaped rooms. Chaim Soutine, a fellow Russian Jew, and Modigliani lived on the same floor. To Chagall's astonishment, he found himself heralded as one of the fathers of surrealism. In 1923, a delegation of Max Ernst, Paul Eluard and Gala (later Salvador Dali's wife) actually knelt before Chagall, begging him to join their ranks. He refused. To understand Chagall's work, it is necessary to know that he was born a Hasidic Jew, heir to mysticism and a world of the spirit, steeped in Jewish lore and reared in the Yiddish language. The Hasidim had a special feeling for animals, which they tried not to overburden. In the mysterious world of Kabbala and fantastic ancient legends of Chagall's youth, the imaginary was as important as the real. His extraordinary use of color also grew out of his dream world; he did not use color realistically, but for emotional effect and to serve the needs of his design. Most of his favorite themes, though superficially light and trivial, mask dark and somber thoughts. The circus he views as a mirror of life; the crucifixion as a tragic theme, used as a parallel to the historic Jewish condition, but he is perhaps best known for the rapturous lovers he painted all his life. His love of music is a theme that runs through his paintings. After a brief period in Berlin, Chagall, Bella and their young daughter, Ida, moved to Paris and in 1937 they assumed French citizenship. When France fell, Chagall accepted an invitation from the Museum of Modern Art to immigrate to the United States. He was arrested and imprisoned in Marseilles for a short time, but was still able to immigrate with his family. The Nazi onslaught caught Chagall in Vichy, France, preoccupied with his work. He was loath to leave; his friend Varian Fry rescued him from a police roundup of Jews in Marseille, and packed him, his family and 3500 lbs. of his art works on board a transatlantic ship. The day before he arrived in New York City, June 23, 1941, the Nazis attacked Russia. The United States provided a wartime haven and a climate of liberty for Chagall. In America he spent the war years designing large backdrops for the Ballet. Bella died suddenly in the United States of a viral infection in September 1944 while summering in upstate New York. He rushed her to a hospital in the Adirondacks, where, hampered by his fragmentary English, they were turned away with the excuse that the hour was too late. The next day she died. He waited for three years after the war before returning to France. With him went a slender married English girl, Virginia Haggard MacNeil; Chagall fell in love with her and they had a son, David. After seven years she ran off with an indigent photographer. It was an immense blow to Chagall's ego, but soon after, he met Valentine Brodsky, a Russian divorcee designing millinery in London (he called her Fava). She cared for him during the days of his immense fame and glory. They returned to France, to a home and studio in rustic Vence. Chagall loved the country and every day walked through the orchards, terraces, etc. before he went to work. Chagall died on March 28, 1985 in the south of France. His heirs negotiated an arrangement with the French state allowing them to pay most of their inheritance taxes in works of art. The heirs owed about $30 million to the French government; roughly $23 million of that amount was deemed payable in artworks. Chagall's daughter, Ida and his widow approved the arrangement. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Sources: Hannah Grad Goodman in Homage to Chagall in Hadassah Magazine, June 1985 Jack Kroll in Newsweek, April 8, 1985 Andrea Jolles in National Jewish Monthly Magazine, May 1985 Michael Gibson...
Category

Modern Mid-20th Century Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

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