Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887 – Saint-Paul, 1985) was a Belarusian painter and printmaker who worked primarily in Paris, known for his use of bright, vivid colors to create dynamic and whimsical pieces. Chagall traveled frequently throughout his career, often using his travels as inspiration for his paintings and prints. Today, Chagall's famous paintings are more accessible through the prints the artist created of his paintings. Created in 1964, Marc Chagall's Romeo et Juliette (Romeo and Juliet) is one of these a marvelous works, featuring striking colors, fantastical figures, and famous Parisian landmarks.
1. The scene was first created for Paris Opera's painted ceiling.
In 1964, André Malraux, the Cabinet Minister for Cultural Affairs, commissioned Chagall to produce a painted decoration for the ceiling of the Opera Garnier in Paris. The painting features several scenes from celebrated operas and plays, including the scene in Romeo and Juliet, 1964.
2. Romeo and Juliet was adapted from a preliminary sketch.
In the process of creating the Paris Opera's ceiling, Chagall created multiple small sketches and preliminary studies, as well as two large dummies, which he submitted to Malraux before he began painting. The lithograph print was adapted from one of these preliminary studies to create the striking and impressively colored work.
3. It was used as an advertisement.
In addition to the edition of 200 lithograph prints to which this work belongs, another edition of print posters with text were created as promotional posters for the Office for French Tourism.
4. It features the monuments of Paris.
On the left side of the composition, Chagall includes some of Paris' historical landmarks. The Arc de Triomphe is printed in red, while the Obélisque de Louxor and the two historic hotels that line the Place de la Concorde, the Hôtel de Crillon and Hôtel de la Marine, are visible in the background of the print. As Romeo and Juliet float over the city, these monuments add a grand sense of history to the print, celebrating Parisian history as much as it celebrates the tragic love story.
5. The figures of Romeo and Juliet appear more than once.
Not only do Romeo and Juliet appear floating over the sky, surrounded by a bouquet of flowers and the figure of a horse. They also appear encircled in the light of the moon in the upper right-hand corner. The moon and its phases are often used as a symbol of the enduring nature of love in spite of constant change. Chagall includes representations of these figures in the moon possibly to suggest that Romeo and Juliet are eternally united, and that their love, much like the moon, is constant and undying despite the challenges the face.
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