The Marketplace, Vitebsk

Marc Chagall French

Not on view

After training and exhibiting his art in Paris, Chagall returned to his hometown Vitebsk in 1914 to marry his childhood sweetheart Bella Rosenfeld. His homecoming was prolonged by World War I (1914–18), during which international travel became restricted. Showing a public square, The Marketplace, Vitebsk contrasts the large, opulent Baroque basilica with the modest storefronts and stalls. The painter employs dramatic perspective and uses the intersecting planes and angles of the buildings to move the viewer’s eye playfully throughout the scene, which contains no clear sign of the ongoing deadly conflict.

The Marketplace, Vitebsk, Marc Chagall (French, Vitebsk 1887–1985 Saint-Paul-de-Vence), Oil on canvas

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.