1922-1923

The Musician

French (born Vitebsk, Russian Empire), 1887 - 1985

Chagall made a large series of prints to illustrate his autobiography, My Life, some of which were never used, including this charming image of a cellist. In Chagall’s paintings and works on paper, music appears as a complex signifier of personal biography and cultural heritage, alluding to emotional and creative expression as well as to the artist’s own lyrical style. Unlike the lively yet plaintive “fiddler on the roof,” which Chagall painted throughout his career to evoke the traditions and hardships of the Jewish people in his native Russia, this musician is by contrast comic and childlike. His body has fused with that of his instrument in a symbolic, if humorous, merging of artistry and life.