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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