Marc Chagall: The Lost Jewish World [Hardcover]

Benjamin Harshav (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2006

"If I were not a Jew . . . I wouldn't have been an artist, or I would be a different artist altogether." -Marc Chagall, Leaves from My Notebook. Marc Chagall is one of the most popular artists of the 20th century, famous for his poetic, surreal images that represent a topsy-turvy world, combining fantasy and spirituality with a modernist style. This volume serves as a guide to the iconography of Chagall's best-loved work—in which he frequently included Jewish symbolism and folklore, sometimes overtly, sometimes in hidden, quite meaningful ways—offering insight into Chagall's Jewish roots and succinct interpretations of his major paintings, from his early masterpieces made in Russia and in Paris to his Yiddish art theater paintings. Harshav illuminates Chagall's most famous paintings of the Jewish shtetl, or provincial Russian town, and highlights the recognizable trademarks of his art, such as the "fiddler on the roof." It also interprets in detail Chagall's theater murals and his beautiful stained-glass windows at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. Although Chagall is not known only as a Jewish artist, his background was the prism through which he saw the world and served as the language of his universally loved art.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Benjamin Harshav is professor of Comparative Literature, Hebrew language and Literature, and Slavic languages at Yale University. His many publications include Marc Chagall and His Times: A Documentary Narrative, Marc Chagall and the Jewish Theater, and Marc Chagall on Art and Culture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847828026
• ISBN-13: 978-0847828029
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 1.1 x 13.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "If I were not a Jew...I would not have been an artist", December 11, 2007

By 

Claude Reich (Florianopolis, Brazil and Paris, France) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marc Chagall: The Lost Jewish World (Hardcover)

This wonderful and richly illustrated book is an in-depth study of the Jewish roots of Chagall's art. Divided into nine chapters, it explains the cultural context in which Chagall's paintings were created, the outside influences (Leon Bakst, Picasso...), the themes (death, life, wedding, pregnancy...), the early masterpieces of the 1910's and 1920's, the influence of Yiddish culture and the schtetl (the lost Jewish world...), of the theater, in a nutshell what made Chagall one of the greatest artists of the first half of the XXth century (in this respect, one should forget about his later years, the 1960's and 70's, which the book barely studies and when he himself admitted to becoming repetitive if not merely commercial). An indispensable addition to the literature on the artist.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars worthwhile overview of Chagall's life and art, January 25, 2010

By 

Ivor E. Zetler (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marc Chagall: The Lost Jewish World (Hardcover)

This book should serve as a worthwhile overview of Mark Chagall's life and artistic output. It covers all the major aspects that would interest the reader; Chagall's influential youth in Vitebsk and later years in America and France as well as a thorough analysis of his paintings. This volume is liberally illustrated with large sized color reproductions of many of his well known works as well as some that are less familiar. I found it an interesting personal observation that, despite my Russian Jewish ancestory, repetitive viewings of Chagall's paintings left me feeling unmoved. This is compared to examining the works of master artists such as Cezanne, Matisse, Rembrandt (to name but a few) where the experience was uplifting and had me in awe of their genius.

I have recently read Jackie Wullschlager's brilliant and penetrating biography of Chagall. This gives a far better portrait of his life, works and personality. Comparatively Harshav's writing is somewhat stilted. Nevertheless this book should appeal to Chagall enthusiasts. The reproductions are good but the stronger colors have a slightly harsh quality.