Marc Chagall (1887-1985)
The dance (detail), 1950-1952 - Oil on canvas. H. 238 ; l. 176 cm
Nice, musée national Marc Chagall, Dépôt du Centre Pompidou - © Photo Rmn-GP (musée Marc Chagall) - © Adagp, Paris 2020 - Chagall ® - © Rmn-Grand Palais, Paris 2020
The Dance, with its sunlight, evokes a hectic...
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Marc Chagall (1887-1985)
The dance (detail), 1950-1952 - Oil on canvas. H. 238 ; l. 176 cm
Nice, musée national Marc Chagall, Dépôt du Centre Pompidou - © Photo Rmn-GP (musée Marc Chagall) - © Adagp, Paris 2020 - Chagall ® - © Rmn-Grand Palais, Paris 2020
The Dance, with its sunlight, evokes a hectic moment through the interplay of two intersecting diagonals formed by the figure of the red dancer and the female silhouette in green. The colours are deliberately strident and the sharp forms at the top of the painting, rays of light, the dancer's horns, the leaves of the plant ornaments around his head, accentuate the impression of violent dynamism.
In the upper right-hand corner, Chagall depicted himself at an easel. The picture he painted depicts a Christ on the Cross, emphasising the sacred nature of the dance. He embraces a red rooster, a symbol of vitality and creativity, which highlights the role of the painter. The round of young girls at the bottom emphasises the sacred dimension and may be an allusion to the dance of Mary, Moses' sister, to celebrate the exit from Egypt.
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