Marc Chagall- A World Renowned Artist
Marc Chagall was one of the most renowned and successful artists of the 20th century. He was born in 1887 and died in 1985. Though born in Russia, the artist spent the longest period of his life in France. This Russian-French artist is famous for various artistic styles and was a pioneer of modernism. He was fascinated with many artistic styles and created works in practically every medium of art such as paintings, stained glass, fine art prints, tapestries and book illustrations etc.
For a long time Marc Chagall has also been respected as the world’s pre-eminent Jewish artist due to the greatness and variety of his work. Chagall is famous for his works inspired by the Bible and for painting the ceiling of the Paris opera in 1963. He masterfully used the medium of stained-glass to produce windows for the cathedrals of Metz and Reims.
“God’s Lantern”
Metz’s stunning St. Stephen’s Cathedral, which has the second tallest nave in Europe, is also famous for Chagall windows shining among its 70,000 square feet of leaded glass artistry. This glass work makes it the most illuminated cathedral in France and causes the cathedral to be known as “God’s Lantern.”
St. Stephen’s is the only German church for which Marc Chagall created windows. Blue light shines through the stained-glass into the interior of St. Stephen’s, making angels and other Biblical figures apparently move ethereally in this light.
In 1974, Marc Chagall, in collaboration of the Jacques Simon Workshop, created three stained-glass windows for the axial chapel of the Cathedral in Reims.
The realization of these windows, which took six years (1968-1974), was made possible thanks to the donations of the Committee of Builders of Champagne-Ardenne, and a membership drive conducted by the Friends of the Reims Cathedral.
There is also a Marc Chagall Museum in Nice France. This museum is located on the top of the ancient hill of Cimiez and is surrounded by a beautiful garden planted with Mediterranean trees. This museum contains the largest collection of Marc Chagall’s works which are on display in a permanent exhibition.
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