Marc Chagall L’Écuyère [The Horse Rider] 1949 - 1953 © Estate of Marc Chagall. All rights reserved. DACS, London 2023

Biography

Born 1887
Died 1985
Nationalities Russian
French

Marc Chagall was born Moishe Shagal near Vitebsk in Belarus - then part of the Russian Empire. He moved to Paris in 1910 and became involved with the cubist and avant-garde groups in the pre-war years. Between 1914-23 he lived in Russia and Germany, before returning to Paris. He fled occupied France for the USA from 1941 to 1948. He then returned to France, settling in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, near Nice on the Mediterranean coast. Matisse and Picasso lived nearby. Chagall’s ceaseless creativity and commitment to exploring the emotional power of colour led to works in a huge variety of mediums and materials, from his acclaimed public commissions in stained glass to ceramics, book illustrations, printmaking and tapestries.

Glossary terms

Glossary terms

Monoprint

A monoprint is a form of printmaking in which an image is made from a smooth surface or ‘plate’ coated in printing ink such as a sheet of glass or metal. In contrast with other printing techniques, only one final image is made, making the technique closer to drawing or painting than other print processes. The term ‘monoprint’ and ‘monotype’ are often used interchangeably to reference the same process, although some prefer to use the term ‘monoprint’ to refer to a series of similar works, while a ‘monotype’ is a one-off.