Marc Chagalls I and the Village

The piece I have chosen for this assignment is Marc Chagalls I and the Village. This piece, done in oil paints seems to have taken on many of the characteristics of watercolors. Many of the colors are very translucent, and many bleed into each other. The subjects in this piece are very defined. However, I am unsure what point the artist is trying to make. The contrasting colors of green and red, along with blue and orange create movement, and keep your eye from staying in one place for very long. The ultimate effect of the whole piece is very tranquil and peaceful. There are no sharp points or angles, which helps create the effect of softness and calmness. In this painting, I feel that color is the predominant feature. I feel that the use of color in this work is very similar to the work of the Fauves in that it is liberally applied. Chagalls painting captures several scenes, occurring at the same time. These scenes being a women milking a cow, an man with a grass or hay cutting tool, and another man starring into the eyes of a cow. These subject matters really give you a sense of the past, and make the work quite nostalgic. I feel that there can be many reasons as to why Chagall chose to paint the subjects he painted. However, he feels quite differently, as shown in the following quote where he describes his work. I dont understand them at all. They are only pictorial arrangements of images that obsess me...The theories I would make up to explain myself and those which others elaborate in connection with my work are nonsense... My paintings are my reason for existence, my life, and thats all. I feel that Chagall chose the subjects of his past times because of everything that was going on in the world, while he was painting. This work was done in the beginning of a new century, of which had drastic changes in the everyday lives of many people due to new developments in technology