Chloe’s Kiss 1961

Marc Chagall made this ethereal image, Chloe’s Kiss, with dreamy blues and greens, skin tones that give the lovers depicted a ghostly presence. The lithographic process he uses here reminds me of his stained glass windows: this feels like light filtering through colored glass, illuminating a mythological scene. I imagine Chagall in his studio, layering colors, each pass of the stone revealing new depths. The lovers float in a timeless embrace, surrounded by surreal vegetation. There’s a figure below them, draped in blue. Is she sleeping? Is she dreaming of the kiss above? This work reflects the tenderness and imaginative vision that defines so much of Chagall’s art. His paintings remind us that art is about feeling as much as seeing, about creating worlds that defy logic and embrace emotion. He keeps the surrealist project alive.