Terra sebv s acta mvsei sabesiensi s

Musical Images as a Reflection of the Artistic Universalism of Marc Chagall 

 

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composition. The intense red dominating this work conveys a state of 

exultance amongst all alive on Earth (people, animals and birds).  

Direct musical associations, namely with the finale of Beethoven’s 

Ninth Symphony (Embrace, the Millions!), appear in the stained glass World 

Window, located in the United Nations building in New York. The window 

is dedicated to the memory of the second UN Secretary-General Dag 

Hammarskjöld, who died in a plane crash. His favourite composer was 

Beethoven, and the lines from Schiller’s Ode to Joy, which call for the 

unification of humanity and are used in the finale of symphony, perfectly 

reflecting the nature of the activity of the peace campaigner. On the stained 

glass panel, Chagall depicts musical notation, which was firmly associated 

with Beethoven’s enormous compositions as represented by his 

contemporaries.  

 

Conclusions 

In the course of this investigation, the following conclusions were reached. 

Music is an important philosophical-aesthetic category within 

Chagall’s artistic consciousness. Musical images in his artworks are 

connected with such essential notions as love, life, inspiration, consolation, 

harmony, beauty and consent. They connect the painter with his past, his 

ethnic roots and simultaneously with world artistic experience, underlying 

Chagall’s understanding of religion, history and culture. Music in Chagall’s 

works has a ceremonial-ritual meaning, it accompanies the main events in 

people’s lives (weddings, death) and in society’s existence (revolution) and 

motivates a spiritual quest. Confirming his humanist ideals and timeless 

values, performing the function of “peacemaker,” music is the expression of 

“universalism of bases and meanings” in Chagall’s creative works.  

Images of musical instruments and musicians appear in Chagall’s 

works in different genres - graphics, pictorial art, stained glass and painting. 

They reflect polymodality of the painter’s thinking, reflect his whole 

worldview, an integral part of which is sound. The images of violinists 

hanging in the air, man-cellos, biblical King Davids and Solomons with 

harps in their hands, trumpeting angels, his brother and sister playing the 

mandolin, music-making animals, klezmer ensembles, popular (circus) and 

symphonic orchestras are widespread in Chagall’s musical iconography. A 

musician in Chagall’s art is a metaphor for a creator, the alter ego of the 

painter himself, due to which such images have a conventional-symbolic 

character.  

The painter imprinted in his works a wide palette of  dynamic colours 

- from pianissimo to fortissimo - and different orchestrations, implying solo, 

chamber ensemble and orchestral performances. He reproduced typical 

characteristics of  simple and synthetic musical genres, such as dance, march, 

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L. G. Safiullina, G. I. Batyrshina 

 

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adagio (in scenes with lovers), folk tunes, opera and ballet; drew upon folk, 

ecclesiastical, classical, pop and jazz music. His works are noted for their 

procedurality, their tempo and rhythm - both calm and equal, and “torn,” 

syncopating - and for their bright imagery, from lyricism to eccentricity.  

Starting with the reflection of klezmer melodies in his early art, 

Chagall later paid respects to composers many different epochs, styles and 

national schools: Mozart (his favourite composer), Gluck, Beethoven, 

Berlioz, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Adan, Wagner, Verdi, Debussy, 

Ravel and Stravinsky, balancing their achievements in the majestic musical 

pantheon of the dome of the Paris Opera. The painter also paid attention to 

famous mythological and biblical musicians - Orpheus, David and Solomon, 

thus covering the entire history of Western music - from antiquity to 

modernity - all spheres and genres of musical art, national and international. 

This testifies to Chagall’s “universalism of integrality,” “universalism-

encyclopedism,” and the systemacity and omnitude of his creative 

representations.  

 

Acknowledgement:  The work was undertaken according to the Russian 

Government Program of  Competitive Growth of  Kazan Federal University. 

 

 

Musical Images as a Reflection of Artistic Universalism of Marc Chagall 

  

(Abstract) 

 

Music is the most important philosophical and aesthetic category in the artistic 

consciousness of Marc Chagall. Musical images in his work relate to intrinsic concepts such 

as love, life, inspiration, comfort, harmony and beauty. They connect the artist with his 

past, his ethnic roots and, at the same time, with world artistic experience, forming the 

basis of his understanding of religion, history and culture. In the works of Chagall, music 

takes on a ceremonial and ritual significance; it accompanies major events in the life of 

individuals and society, and encourages a spiritual quest.  

Images of musical instruments and musicians abound in Chagall’s drawings, 

paintings and stained glass panels. They reflect the artist’s polymodal thinking, allowing his 

visual works to restore a complete picture of the world, of which an integral part is sound. 

The most common elements in Chagall’s musical iconography are violins floating in the air, 

cellos, humans, the biblical kings David and Solomon holding a harp, trumpeting angels 

and animals playing musical instruments, as well as klezmer ensembles, popular and 

symphonic orchestras. The musician is Chagall’s metaphor for a creator, the alter ego of 

the artist, due to which such images bear a conventional-symbolic character.  

The artist captured in his works a broad palette of dynamic nuances and varied 

orchestration. He recreated the characteristic features of simple and combinatory musical 

genres, appealing to folk, spiritual, classical, popular and jazz music. His works are 

characterized by procedure, tempo, rhythm and vivid imagery.  

Having started by representing klezmer tunes in his artworks, Chagall went on to 

pay tribute to composers of various eras, styles and national schools, celebrating their 

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