Musiciens sur fond multicolore by Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall
1887-1985 | Russian

Musiciens sur fond multicolore
(Musicians on a multicolored background)

Signed 'Chag' (on the sleeve of the right figure); stamped with the signature 'Marc Chagall' (lower right)
Tempera, gouache, colored ink and India ink and pastel on paper

“The fact that I made use of cows, milkmaids, roosters and provincial Russian architecture as my source forms is because they are part of the environment from which I spring and which undoubtedly left the deepest impression on my visual memory of the experiences I have." - Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall’s 1981 masterpiece Musiciens sur fond multicolore offers a captivating glimpse inside the mind of the artist. With an all-over array of figures and colors, the composition showcases a kaleidoscopic collection of the artist’s most cherished motifs, realized in a brilliant variety of hues. This work includes Chagall’s signature rooster and a pair of his euphoric flying lovers and also several other motifs alluding to his childhood in the rural town of Vitebsk, including several farm animals like cows and goats, a nursing mother figure and a plentiful array of musicians. In Chagall’s oeuvre, music appears as a recurring motif, signifying Chagall's heritage, with his popular Fiddler figure recalling the artist's memories of listening to his uncle play the fiddle. This work, with its dizzying combination of colors and figures, recalls the overwhelming polyphony of the most complex and jovial musical movements.

Chagall’s later works are characterized by a rich use of jewel tones and bright colors and a turn toward even more personal and introspective compositions. While Chagall populates his composition with a familiar cast of characters from the imaginative world he built over several decades, the work’s bold use of intense color firmly situates this painting in the remarkable latter years of his life—a most desirable and sought-after period in his oeuvre. More than any of his later more vibrant compositions, this multi-color dream, with its brilliant use of rainbow hues, demonstrates the deep influence of Chagall’s work on stained glass windows. The remarkable spectrum of colors recalls Chagall’s beautiful rainbow of stained glass windows in Jerusalem. In Musiciens Sur fond multicolor Chagall's rainbow-hued dream dazzles the eye and sparks nostalgia and cultural pride. 

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Comité Marc Chagall, signed by the artist’s granddaughter Merit Meyer, dated Paris, 13 June 2022 and numbered 2022152.

Dated 1981

Paper: 25 1/2" high by 19 1/2” wide (63.50 x 49.53 cm)
Frame: 41 1/2" high by 35 5/8” wide (105.41 x 90.49 cm)