Marc Chagall (1887-1985)
Song of Songs IV, 1958
Oil on canvas, 144,5 cm x 210,5 cm
Donation Marc and Valentina Chagall, 1966
Musée national Marc Chagall, Nice.
Photo © RMN-GP / Gérard Blot
A reprise of one of the sets for the ballet Aleko , the composition depicts David and Bathsheba entwined on the...
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Marc Chagall (1887-1985)
Song of Songs IV, 1958
Oil on canvas, 144,5 cm x 210,5 cm
Donation Marc and Valentina Chagall, 1966
Musée national Marc Chagall, Nice.
Photo © RMN-GP / Gérard Blot
A reprise of one of the sets for the ballet Aleko , the composition depicts David and Bathsheba entwined on the back of a winged horse flying over the city of Jerusalem. The color of David's face could illustrate the Yiddish saying "to be green with emotion."
The horse holds a central place in the composition and can have several meanings: it embodies the strength of human love, capable of rising to the divine, but also the power of desire and carnal love. Finally, it is Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, symbol of poetry.
The comet effect produced by the treatment of the train of the wedding dress contributes to the dynamism of the composition.
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