The Fortune-Teller 1927 - 1930

This is Marc Chagall’s “The Fortune-Teller,” a print made with dark, scratchy lines. It's all about marks, how they cluster and diverge, isn't it? Look at the way the lines around the figure’s head almost vibrate, creating a halo effect. Those chaotic strokes contrast with the more ordered, gridded patterns on the scattered cards. The surface feels alive with energy, like the fortune-teller is pulling images and patterns from the air. The fortune-teller’s hands are particularly interesting; they are a knot of lines, simultaneously active and still, as if suspended between the known and unknown. It reminds me of Goya's etchings, that same raw, psychological depth. But Chagall brings a folksy sensibility to it. It’s not a pronouncement, it’s an invitation into a world of uncertainty and dream. In art, as in fortune-telling, it’s about embracing the ambiguity and living with the questions more than the answers.