Mrs. Keyfitz's Art Blog

Art Inspiration, Discussion & Appreciation




L’Anniversaire (The Birthday) by Marc Chagall (1923) What we learned- Chagall worked in the Surrealist style, like Dali- though Chagall’s paintings are more influenced by everyday life than Dali’s works. Chagall brought folk-style art (the art of everyday people) into the high art world. As a Jewish artist in France during WWII, Chagall fled to New York in 1941 to escape the persecution that many Jews (including artists) experienced from the Nazi occupation.  The Nazis especially targeted artists whose work was of a Biblical nature (as many of Chagall’s paintings were), confiscating and sometimes destroying the artworks. Discussion Questions: Why did Chagall choose to make only certain parts of the painting fantastical? What does the floating/ flying of the two figures symbolize? What can we tell about the couple by their surroundings?

L’Anniversaire (The Birthday) by Marc Chagall (1923)

What we learned-

  • Chagall worked in the Surrealist style, like Dali- though Chagall’s paintings are more influenced by everyday life than Dali’s works.
  • Chagall brought folk-style art (the art of everyday people) into the high art world.
  • As a Jewish artist in France during WWII, Chagall fled to New York in 1941 to escape the persecution that many Jews (including artists) experienced from the Nazi occupation.  The Nazis especially targeted artists whose work was of a Biblical nature (as many of Chagall’s paintings were), confiscating and sometimes destroying the artworks.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why did Chagall choose to make only certain parts of the painting fantastical?
  2. What does the floating/ flying of the two figures symbolize?
  3. What can we tell about the couple by their surroundings?

Notes