Le village en fête 1975 - 1976

Marc Chagall drew Le village en fête with crayon, and you can see him working and reworking the marks. Orange crayon scratches fill the background, pushing figures forward in an endless exchange of line and tone. I imagine Chagall making this, trying to wrestle his memories onto paper, trying to pin them down. Those flying figures – I feel the artist trying to grasp something just out of reach. The colors are so playful. That green donkey really pops, doesn't it? And then there's this little scribble of a house, drawn with such love and detail, like he is rebuilding his childhood with crayon. Chagall reminds me of other artists, too – Philip Guston, maybe, with his funny shapes and figures. Like Guston, he's not afraid to be direct and awkward. And when I look at this drawing I want to get back in my studio and make some marks with the same freedom and joy. Because that's what art is all about, right? It's a conversation that never ends.