The Monumental Art of Marc Chagall

French artist Marc Chagall creates The Four Seasons Mosaic for the city of Chicago. Director Chuck Olin uses the style of direct cinema along with interviews, to show Chagall's artistic process, and the evolution of his piece from model to its final unveiling in Chicago.

00:00:00Copy video clip URL A quote from Marc Chagall about his piece, The Four Seasons.  “I chose the theme of the four seasons because I believe there will be many people going through this plaza in the heart of the city of Chicago. In my mind, the four seasons represent human life, both physical and spiritual, at its different stages. I hope that the people of Chicago will feel the same emotion that I felt when doing this work.”

00:00:44Copy video clip URL Chagall and artisans in France, working on a model for the mosaic.

00:03:58Copy video clip URL In Chicago, workers begin installing the piece.

00:05:29Copy video clip URL Chagall and artisans in the South of France, working on the mosaic. Pierre Provoyeur, curator of the Chagall Museum narrates about mosaics and how they are constructed.

00:14:43Copy video clip URL In an interview Provoyeur discusses Chagall’s use of color. Footage of Chagall working with his assistants on the colors of the mosaic.

00:17:49Copy video clip URL Footage cuts between the mosaic being installed in Chicago and Chagall working in France, accompanied by classical music.

00:21:42Copy video clip URL Chagall and his wife arrive in Chicago. Chagall studies the installed mosaic and makes final revisions.

00:27:54Copy video clip URL The Four Seasons mosaic is unveiled. Chagall speaks to the crowd and the Chicago Children’s choir sings over footage of the finished mosaic.

 

3 Comments

  1. Mairead Ryan says:

    WHAT A WONDERFUL REPRESENTATION OF THE ARTIST AT WORK. I WOULD GO TO CHICAGO JUST TO SEE THIS MOSAIC. I FOUND THIS FILM AS I AM ABOUT TO START A MOSAIC ON MY BACK GARDEN WALL AND LOVE CHAGALL PAINTINGS BUT HAVE NOT SEEN ANY OF HIS MOSAICS IN REAL LIFE YET SO THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY SPECIAL TREAT. WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE BEAUTIFUL TESSERAE! IN WHAT YEAR WAS THIS MOSAIC UNVEILED?

  2. Media Burn says:

    You’re right, we’re very lucky to have this in Chicago. It was dedicated in 1974.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Seasons_%28Chagall%29

  3. Tatiana Cauchy-Tharin says:

    Many thanks for this video. My late father in law (Michel Tharin) was Chagall’s mosaist. I had no idea this film existed and discovered it by surprise yesterday as I was visiting Chicago and searching for more info on the Four Seasons. I immediately forwarded it to my husband and his sister who are thrilled to see it. They were young teenagers when the work was done and had the opportunity to come along from France during the construction work. This is a great treasure for us, thank you again.

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