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拍品專文
The Comité Marc Chagall has confirmed the authenticity of this work.
“I thought that only love and uncalculating devotion towards others will lead to the greatest harmony in life and in art of which humanity has been dreaming so long. And this must, of course, be included in each utterance, in each brushstroke, and in each colour” – Chagall, quoted in J. Baal-Teshuva (ed.), Chagall: A Retrospective, Westport
Painted between 1978 and 1980, Corbeille de fruits aux amoureux , exemplifies the sense of joyful abundance and vibrancy of the artist’s work during this significant period of his life. Combining a number of the central elements of Chagall’s uniquely personal artistic iconography, this exuberant painting displays an ample basket of fruit, a vase of brightly blossoming flowers, as well as an amorous, floating couple at the top of the image against an azure blue sky.
Chagall always associated flowers with France, having moved to Paris in 1910 from his native Russia, around which time they begin to appear in his work. By the early 1920s, bouquets of flowers had become a symbol of romantic love for Chagall, and he continued to use the theme of flowers constantly throughout his career. At the time that this work was painted, Chagall was living in the hilltop town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the South of France, which can be seen as the setting for this composition, reflected in the pink-peach ramparts surrounded by lush trees and fertile land. The basket laiden with exotic, juicy, fruits conveys further the sense of abundance and fecundity not only of the region, but of the artist’s artistic vitality and happiness during this time; the scintillating saturation of colour attesting to his own personal sense of joy. After the Second World War, the small town on the French Riviera had emerged as a thriving artistic centre, animated by the presence of Picasso and Matisse. Chagall described his life in Vence as, ‘a bouquet of roses’ (Chagall quoted in S. Alexander, Marc Chagall: A Biography , New York, 1978, p. 492); a peaceful idyll, which is reflected in the sensuous, lyrical style and rich colours of Corbeille de fruits aux amoureux .
An explosion of colour, Corbeille de fruits aux amoureux demonstrates the artist’s great love and mastery of colour. Françoise Gilot, one of Picasso’s lovers and muses, wrote that the Spanish master once said, ‘When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is… Some of the last things he’s done in Vence convince me that there’s never been anybody since Renoir who has the feeling for light that Chagall has.’ (Picasso quoted in F. Gilot and C. Lake, Life with Picasso , New York, 1964, p. 282). Filled with brilliant light and colour, Corbeille de fruits aux amoureux is an image that demonstrates Chagall’s ceaseless enthusiasm and artistic creativity.
“I thought that only love and uncalculating devotion towards others will lead to the greatest harmony in life and in art of which humanity has been dreaming so long. And this must, of course, be included in each utterance, in each brushstroke, and in each colour” – Chagall, quoted in J. Baal-Teshuva (ed.), Chagall: A Retrospective, Westport
Painted between 1978 and 1980, Corbeille de fruits aux amoureux , exemplifies the sense of joyful abundance and vibrancy of the artist’s work during this significant period of his life. Combining a number of the central elements of Chagall’s uniquely personal artistic iconography, this exuberant painting displays an ample basket of fruit, a vase of brightly blossoming flowers, as well as an amorous, floating couple at the top of the image against an azure blue sky.
Chagall always associated flowers with France, having moved to Paris in 1910 from his native Russia, around which time they begin to appear in his work. By the early 1920s, bouquets of flowers had become a symbol of romantic love for Chagall, and he continued to use the theme of flowers constantly throughout his career. At the time that this work was painted, Chagall was living in the hilltop town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the South of France, which can be seen as the setting for this composition, reflected in the pink-peach ramparts surrounded by lush trees and fertile land. The basket laiden with exotic, juicy, fruits conveys further the sense of abundance and fecundity not only of the region, but of the artist’s artistic vitality and happiness during this time; the scintillating saturation of colour attesting to his own personal sense of joy. After the Second World War, the small town on the French Riviera had emerged as a thriving artistic centre, animated by the presence of Picasso and Matisse. Chagall described his life in Vence as, ‘a bouquet of roses’ (Chagall quoted in S. Alexander, Marc Chagall: A Biography , New York, 1978, p. 492); a peaceful idyll, which is reflected in the sensuous, lyrical style and rich colours of Corbeille de fruits aux amoureux .
An explosion of colour, Corbeille de fruits aux amoureux demonstrates the artist’s great love and mastery of colour. Françoise Gilot, one of Picasso’s lovers and muses, wrote that the Spanish master once said, ‘When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is… Some of the last things he’s done in Vence convince me that there’s never been anybody since Renoir who has the feeling for light that Chagall has.’ (Picasso quoted in F. Gilot and C. Lake, Life with Picasso , New York, 1964, p. 282). Filled with brilliant light and colour, Corbeille de fruits aux amoureux is an image that demonstrates Chagall’s ceaseless enthusiasm and artistic creativity.