ART:

Artist's collection separated into three periods of inspiration

By Alicia Cheak

Daily Bruin Contributor

In the first chamber of the gallery, there is a black and white photograph of the artist, 21 years of age. Beside is a card which reads "God, Thou who conceal Thyself in the clouds, or behind the shoemaker's house. Disclose my soul, that doleful soul of a stammering kid. Show me my path. I don't want to be like the others; I want to see the world" - words from his journal.

"Marc Chagall (1907-1917)" is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's latest exhibition, on view through Jan. 5, 1997. It traces the artist's earliest paintings and two major environments, Russia and Paris, which determined and dictated the motifs of his future works.

The exhibition is divided into three parts. The first, 1907-1910, is a collection of works done in Vitebsk, St. Petersburg. Here, his personal relationships are depicted through the portraits of his father, mother and fiancee Bella in murky shades of yellow and orange - colors which are also characteristic of his portrayals of Russian village landscape.

His Jewish heritage is also filtered into the paintings, the more notable one being "The Dead Man" (1908) in which the first image of the fiddler on the roof appears. At this point, his artistic vocabulary is still in its infancy as he plays with the familiar imagery of his companions: family, village life and religion.

It is only after Chagall leaves Russia for Paris and comes under the tutelage of other artists that his imagination begins to take over.

His growth as an artist is apparent in the next section, 1910-1914, which includes a series of paintings where headless bodies, flying cows and two-faced beings appear in vibrant colors - contrasting the somber earth tones of his previous works.

Chagall's art seems to have taken the magical turn of a child's imagination. Cubism and abstraction find their way into his works so that they are no longer literal. "I and the Village" looks like a child's sketching, and it makes you wonder why there is a moon on what could be a road and a man sitting on the cheek of a horse. In fact, you might just look at it for a while because of its oddity.

But the works with early Russian themes still favor representation over abstraction or randomness. "The Praying Jew" (1913) is an amazing piece showing a rabbi with his hands bounded. Of course, that is subject to interpretation as well.

In 1914, Chagall returned to Vitebsk for a visit but remained because of World War I. The artist's reunion with the elements of his heritage is documented in the final segment, 1914-1917. Chagall begins to incorporate his experiences in Paris into the familiar environment of Russia he left four years ago.

It is also during this period that he weds Bella, who remains the steadfast source of creativity for Chagall's future works. "Bella with White Collar" (1917) and "Over the Town" are notable examples of the airless, spirit-like quality he gives to characters in his paintings.

Chagall's true spiritual side is revealed in a companion exhibit that comes from LACMA's own collection. "Chagall's Bible: A Selection of Etchings" contains approximately 60 prints which convey Chagall's interpretations of the Old Testament.

"Since my childhood, the [Bible] has filled me with visions about the fate of the world and inspired me in my work. In moments of doubt, its highly poetical grandeur and wisdom has comforted me," Chagall writes.

As a whole, the exhibit allows you to see the artist experimenting with themes which would become footholds in his later works. Some of the paintings look like childish sketches, but you do get to see a notable development within a decade - a sort of metamorphosis.

You may want to start at the end of the exhibit and see the regression of the artist. Ironically, his later works are more fairy-tale like, although his technique is stronger and more individualized.

Chagall's stylistic and visual transformation will capture your interest, as will his knack for the unexpected - be sure to look for the cattle which turn up in the most unusual places.

"Marc Chagall (1907-1917)" is on exhibit through Jan. 5, 1997 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Open Tuesday - Thursday, 10-5; Friday, 10-9; Saturday - Sunday, 11-6. Closed Mondays. Second Wednesday of every month is free. Admission: Adults, $6; students, $4; children five and under are free. For more information, call (213) 857-6000.

LA COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

Marc Chagall's "Violinist on a Bench" (1920), an oil on canvas, is part of an exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

LA COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

Marc Chagall's "Drunkard" (1911), an ink and gouache on paper.