Le grand bouquet 1978

Editor: Here we have Marc Chagall's "Le grand bouquet," created in 1978. It's an oil painting just bursting with color! It feels like a celebration of both the flowers and the landscape in the background. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, from a materialist perspective, consider the oil paint itself. Chagall's impasto application – those thick, textured brushstrokes – aren’t just about aesthetics. The sheer volume of pigment speaks to post-war abundance and a kind of joyous consumption, wouldn't you agree? The materiality really impacts how we perceive it. Editor: I see what you mean! It's not just *what* he paints, but *how* he paints it, showing that available paint makes a huge bouquet even possible. It is interesting how the heavy brushstrokes blur the line between the bouquet in the foreground and the city scene, almost blending nature and society, almost like there is little dividing it. How do the objects on the table play into this, do you think? Curator: Precisely! Look at that basket overflowing with fruit. The fruit, the flowers— they’re all products. Chagall is very consciously displaying items made for sale and consumption in his images. This focus makes "Le grand bouquet" become a portrait of economic activity as much as an observation about beauty, right? The entire scene stages an interaction between humanity and objecthood through their materiality. Editor: That’s a fascinating point. I never considered the socio-economic implications of oil paint. It is clear he uses what's on the table to help stage what happens beyond the still-life, where the scene itself merges with the background city, with similar levels of production apparent. Thanks, that's given me a whole new way to see Chagall. Curator: Exactly! And think about the implications this has on how we classify “high” art versus “craft.” It really makes you rethink these categories, and perhaps realize that they don’t exist!