Fleurs ou Le bouquet champêtre 1965

Marc Chagall made this painting of flowers or a country bouquet with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is how he was feeling that day, how life was. It's a very physical painting, built with brushstrokes that are almost like pieces of mosaic. I imagine Chagall, probably in France, but in his mind, he’s back in Russia, because this is where he always returned to in his art. He’s laying down the paint, thick and juicy, in a wild garden of blues, greens, yellows and reds. The paint creates the donkey, the figure, the flowers. And what about this bouquet? It's not just about pretty blooms. It’s about memory, love, and a kind of beautiful chaos. It reminds me a bit of de Kooning, in the way he builds a painting with such energy. The energy of life itself. Painters are always talking to each other, even across generations, taking inspiration, and making something new. And we, the viewers, get to listen in on the conversation.