The Art and Life of Marc Chagall
Joseph Cassar, professor of art, University of Maryland University College and the New York Times Knowledge Network

This presentation focuses on the humble beginnings of Marc Chagall within a Jewish family living in Lithuania near the city of Vitebsk, a picturesque city of churches and synagogues called at the time the "Russian Toledo". Chagall’s early drawings and paintings reveal this rich heritage which stayed with him throughout his artistic career. After a short cubist period from 1912-13, he founded the short-lived Vitebsk Art College (VAC) until departing for Paris in 1922. Faculty members at VAC included El Lissitsky, Kazimir Malevich and Chagall’s first art teacher, Yehuda Pen. The highlight of the presentation is a discussion of prestigious commissions Chagall received late in his career: the Paris Opera Ceiling in 1963 and several international stained glass windows which are considered the crown of his long and prolific artistic life.

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