The Lovers

Marc Chagall French, born former Russian Empire, now Belarus

1913–14

Not on view

Fairy-tale details of a Russian town can be seen through the window of Chagall's imaginary scene of his room in Vitebsk, painted in Paris. The lovers represent the artist with his fiancée, Bella Rosenfeld. Mainly self-taught, Chagall developed a unique style that blends sentiment and fantasy—an effect the poet Guillaume Apollinaire called "supernatural."

Artwork Details

Title: The Lovers
Artist: Marc Chagall (French (born former Russian Empire, now Belarus), Vitebsk 1887–1985 Saint-Paul-de-Vence)
Date: 1913–14
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 42 7/8 × 53 in. (108.9 × 134.6 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, 1998
Object Number: 1999.363.14
Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

By Marc Chagall

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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A Water Carrier and a Coachman, Marc Chagall French, born former Russian Empire, now Belarus, Opaque watercolor, watercolor, and black and brown inks on paper — A Water Carrier and a Coachman
Marc Chagall
1912

Susanna and the Elders, Marc Chagall French, born former Russian Empire, now Belarus, Metallic paints, opaque watercolor, and brown ink on paper — Susanna and the Elders
Marc Chagall
1912

Water Carrier by Moonlight, Marc Chagall French, born former Russian Empire, now Belarus, Watercolor and opaque watercolor on paper — Water Carrier by Moonlight
Marc Chagall
1911

Couple, Marc Chagall French, born former Russian Empire, now Belarus, Brush and black ink, opaque watercolor, and watercolor on paper — Couple
Marc Chagall
1911

The Village Idiot, Marc Chagall French, born former Russian Empire, now Belarus, Oil paint and graphite on paper — The Village Idiot
Marc Chagall
1914–15

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