Grand profil et nu rose c. 1977

Curator: "Grand profil et nu rose," created around 1977 by Marc Chagall. It’s watercolor on paper, full of vibrant colors and whimsical imagery. What are your first thoughts? Editor: Dreamy. Almost like looking at a stage set, particularly with that figure posed center stage bathed in light. There’s a flatness that pulls you into a world more imagined than observed. Curator: Indeed. Chagall often merged personal and cultural narratives. Look at the layered composition—figures, landscapes, portraits all coexist within a shared space. The visible paper suggests the immediacy of the process, that it wasn’t laborious but flowing with a sense of freedom and joy. Editor: I'm curious about the politics of such exuberant imagery created so late in his career. Chagall, a Jewish artist, worked during times of incredible social upheaval, including wars and revolutions. To create such a whimsical piece amidst all that context is a very powerful statement. What's he communicating, do you think, in his selection of imagery for "Grand profil et nu rose"? Curator: I see the imagery more connected to materials accessible and common to his generation. The application of paint, which he clearly explored with watercolors on paper here, creates washes that invite imagination in its creation as well as its reading by the viewers. I imagine viewers at the time enjoyed an accessibility due to the paper backing; perhaps inviting them into his thought process more personally. Editor: Right, I can see the tension there. One sees resistance through overt messaging; the other through democratized creative material accessible and welcoming. What kind of agency does one find as a painter versus that of the consumer of painting. Curator: It definitely feels celebratory of the tangible—of the experience of image creation made possible by the humble medium of watercolor and paper; while others focus more overtly on what we're shown and how the consumption of imagery reflects and influences culture. Editor: It gives you pause to appreciate a late work offering insight into his enduring style; a marker, really, within the narrative of 20th century art, one made through deliberate material choices. Curator: Absolutely. A vibrant example of Chagall's style and artistic exploration.