Dialogue across Time and Space

by Zoe Zhao

He has been described as a poet with the wings of a painter. He rejected restrictions on art theory. In his works， “love” is the most important and prevalent theme. Picasso spoke highly of him： “When Henri Matisse dies， Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is.” Marc Chagall （1887-1985） was one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century.

“Marc Chagall： Color and Magic，” the first exhibition of the master painter in China， opened at the Silk Road International Cultural Exchange Center in Langfang， Hebei Province， on October 10， 2020. The center is a key project funded by Chinas clean energy provider ENN Group and is expected to become a new cultural and artistic landmark of the Beijing-TianjinHebei region. Organized by the Langfang branch of the Central Academy of Fine Arts （CAFA） Art Museum， the exhibition deployed Chagalls works to speak directly to a Chinese audience for the first time in a year unlike any other. The masters pieces whisk the Chinese audience through time and space towards their own inner depths and profound ideas about the world.

A giant in modern painting history， Chagall held solo exhibitions in many internationally renowned art institutions such as the New York-based Museum of Modern Art， the Metropolitan Museum of Art， the Pompidou Center in Paris， and the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. He was born into a Jewish family in Belarus in 1887 and spent most of his career in France. His complex and diverse cultural background gifted his works with a uniquely poetic and figurative style and enabled him to transcend labels like surrealist， cubist， and impressionist.

The “Marc Chagall： Color and Magic”exhibition is a major event for the Langfang branch of the CAFA Art Museum.

Masterminded by CAFA President Fan Dian， the exhibition recruited CAFA Art Museum director Zhang Zikang and Miria Dolores as curators. It consists of five parts： “Love， Nostalgia， Fantastic World and Circus，” “Classic Etchings： La Fontaines Fables，” “Faith and Vitality： The Bible Series，” “Paris Seduction，” and “Life Ends with a Bouquet of Flowers.” A total of 155 works were displayed， including oil paintings， watercolors， gouaches， temperas， and etchings. A total of 28 original paintings by the master， such as Russian Village and The Purple Rooster， were exhibited. The originals were supplemented with over 100 prints， the most famous being etchings done by Chagall for La Fontaines Fables， one of the greatest masterpieces of French literature. The exhibition covered Chagalls works across his nearly 60-year career from 1925 to 1981 and highlighted the most prominent themes in his life of creation： love， nostalgia， and beliefs deeply influenced by his Jewish background.

The year 2020 saw the coronavirus sweep around the world， causing unprecedented challenges for human civilization. Against this backdrop， what brought the Marc Chagall exhibition to China？ What highlights stood out？ More than 35 years after his death， can we determine a connection of this master to Chinese society？ China Pictorial took such questions to Zhang Zikang， director of the CAFA Art Museum and co-curator of the exhibition.

China Pictorial （CP）： How did the Marc Chagall exhibition end up in China at the Langfang branch of the CAFA Art Museum this tough year？

Zhang Zikang （Zhang）： This year has indeed been tough. As Chinas economy and the publics cultural life have been slowly recovering， we have been exhibiting the excellent works of the world-renowned master artist Marc Chagall at the Langfang branch of the CAFA Art Museum. Preparations for the exhibition took an entire year. Back then， no one expected 2020 to be like this. The coronavirus caught us off guard and upended normal life. However， common faith brought us together and pushed us to look deep within ourselves， at others， and at living individuals and groups.

In such a special period of time， we hope this exhibition will facilitate passage to a vivid fantasy world obscuring boundaries between reality and imagination and radiating hope for a better life.

CP： What are the highlights of the exhibition？ What criteria did you use to select works？

Zhang： This exhibition is tremendously important in terms of both academic value and public aesthetic education. The displayed pieces trace Chagalls art creation across a career spanning more than 50 years from 1925 to 1981. They were created with a range of materials and in various forms.

In the process of selection， we prioritized works with special value and those that provided insight into the academic life of Chagall， rather than highlighting any particular piece. We endeavored to maintain academic openness about the selection process to ensure a high-quality exhibition.

CP： How does the masters art relate to modern Chinese society？

Zhang： The art of Marc Chagall is not confined to a single genre， and the artist transcended the restrictions of art rules and techniques. Chagalls art is inspirational to Chinese art educators in terms of exploring interdisciplinary and diversified teaching and professional training at art colleges and institutions.

An important form of international cultural and artistic exchange， this exhibition enables Chinese people to better understand a high-quality foreign culture through Chagalls works. Establishing a better understanding of high-quality culture from around the world will help people increase their own cultural confidence.