The Two Pigeons 1927 - 1930

Marc Chagall made this print of two pigeons using etching, and right away you can see his hand, the directness of the mark, the scratches, the bite of the acid. You can almost smell the studio. Look at how the marks build up around the birds; they have an almost sculptural presence, set against the lightness of the sky. But the sky isn’t just empty space, is it? It’s full of subtle marks, and it’s anchored by that tiny crescent moon. That delicate but insistent curve balances all the density below. What gets me is the contrast between the dark and tangled thicket of branches, and the tender moment of the pigeons touching beaks. It's a bit like an early Picasso etching, where line becomes a way of thinking about form, feeling, and the simple joy of existence. Art at its best, right?