OPENING: A New Way of Seeing - Chagall’s Bible

by Betsy Robinson

“Ever since my earliest youth I have been fascinated by the Bible,” wrote Russian Jewish artist Marc Chagall (1887–1985) in the catalog for the Museum of the Biblical Message in Nice, France. “The Bible is the echo of nature, and this I have endeavored to transmit. . . . In art everything is possible, so long as it is based on love.”

Love is the essence of the new exhibit of Chagall’s representations of biblical heroes, prophets, and scenes of the Crucifixion at the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA). Whether you’re a Biblical scholar who is fascinated by the fact that an artist raised in a Jewish ghetto chose to devote much of his work to a Christian text, or whether you enjoy being swept away by sumptuous colors and images, or whether you simply want to know more about the artist, there is something for you in Chagall’s Bible. One of the most popular artists of our century, often referred to as one of the greatest religious artists of all time, Chagall created pictures that bypass the brain and go straight to the heart. In conjunction with the exhibit, MOBIA is offering talks including one by Chagall’s granddaughter, Bella Meyer, as well as concerts, and much more (see below).

(Artwork currently not available)

David and Bathsheba /  1956
Verve Lithographs for the Bible, color lithograph, 13 3/4” x 10 5/16”

After King David sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing, the two of them enter into an
adulterous union with tragic consequences. This is one of Chagall’s most important works.

On Exhibit October 7–January 18, MOBIA,  1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023, 212-408-1500, mobia.org, Chagall’s Bible: Mystical Storytelling features more than 100 illustrations created from the 1930s to the early 1960s.

Mystical Crucifixion /  1950
Color lithograph, 14 1/8” x 20 1/2”

After the Nazis began the Holocaust, Chagall responded with pictures of the Crucifixion. This is one of the first color lithographs that he drew directly onto stone, shortly after Israel’s war for independence. The cow and a woman’s bosom are two of Chagall’s most common symbols — for life and fertility, respectively.

Levi /  1962
Jerusalem Windows Series, color lithograph, 11 3/4” x 8 1/2”

For the Synagogue of the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem, Chagall created pigmented windows representing the  twelve sons of the Patriarch Jacob, from whom came the Twelve Tribes of Israel. This is a lithograph of the window of Levi, the founder of the Tribe of Levites, which was singled out by Moses as the nation’s priests. 

The Passover Meal /  1957
The Bible Series, hand-colored etching, 24” x 18”

After being commissioned to do the Bible Series in 1930 by Parisian art dealer Ambroise Vollard, Chagall spent three months in Palestine where he made the gouaches that served as models for
the works. He completed 66 of the plates by 1939
during Hitler’s rise to power, returning to the
project 13 years later, after the Holocaust.

Quai de Tournelle /  1953
Oil on canvas, 15 3/8” x 23 5/8”

On this quai on the Left Bank in Paris, there used to be a tower (La Tournelle) that stood at the heart of Paris’ defense. This tower was replaced by a fortified castle with dungeons where slaves were held before embarking on a voyage. On the left we see a picture of despair; on the right, Christ on the cross; but floating above the whole scene there is what appears to be a loving couple transcending everything.

Samson and the Lion /  1957
The Bible Series, hand-colored etching, 24” x 18”

“. . . . and behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he [tore] him as he would have [torn] a kid . . . .” (Judges 14: 5-6) Chagall chose to illustrate Biblical scenes in response to the experiences of the Jews in Europe.