|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Eye-opening and colorful works from the late artist Marc Chagall come to Livermore for a limited time only. Described as vibrant, brilliant and profound, the Chagall pieces will be bolstered by various Bay Area artists in a new exhibit downtown.
“Illuminating Symbols in Art: From Chagall to Contemporary Symbolism” will be on display at the UNCLE Credit Union Art Gallery in the Bankhead Theater from this week through May 19. The exhibit features 12 lithographs from Chagall, as well as works from regional artists with an emphasis on “symbolic art.”
Livermore Valley Arts described the exhibition as a “stunning tribute to a dream of love, friendship and peace among all people.” The gallery is free and open to the public, Thursdays through Sundays from 1-5 p.m.
Chagall (who lived from 1887 to 1985) was a well-known, celebrated Jewish artist who often drew inspiration from his religious and cultural heritage. He was known to mix biblical themes, personal anecdotes and creativity to create his pieces.
“Illuminating Symbols in Art” showcases lithographs inspired by Chagall’s “Jerusalem Windows” series created between 1962 and 1964. The windows are currently displayed in the Hadassah Medical Center synagogue in Jerusalem.
“His ‘Jerusalem Windows’ series reflects his profound connection to Jerusalem and his desire to create art transcending religious boundaries,” LVA representatives said. “Through vibrant colors, whimsical imagery and symbolic motifs, Chagall masterfully captures the essence of spirituality and unity.”
“Each lithograph in this collection represents a different biblical tribe, themes relating to the biblical 12 sons of Jacob, progenitors of the 12 Tribes of Israel, reflecting Chagall’s interpretation of their respective symbols and narratives and coming out of Chagall’s immersed study of Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33,” representatives added.
His work has also been displayed at the Louvre in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
“The windows feature brilliant reds, blues, yellows and greens and a visual vocabulary expressing the biblical text and Jewish history, Chagall’s world both real and perceived, his love and profound identification with the history and culture of Jewish people and his early life,” LVA reps continued. “Each panel is filled with a dance of intricate images, compelling themes, and stunning colors, and together tells the story of the Jewish people. Like a coral reef of magnificent diversity, the longer one observes them, the more one sees.”
During his lifetime, Chagall stated the window series had a deep effect on his personal and artistic perspectives.
“All the time I was working, I felt my mother and father looking over my shoulder and behind them were Jews, millions of other vanished Jews, of yesterday and a thousand years ago,” Chagall said after completing his window series. “(The windows) completely transformed my vision; they gave me a great shock, they made me reflect. I don’t know how I shall paint from now on, but I believe something is taking place.”
Other artwork in the Bankhead exhibit are from James Bonacci, Anna Ivanovskaya, Kristin Kuipersart and Thomas See.
The exhibit’s opening reception will be held this Saturday (March 16) from 1-3 p.m. Professor Bonnie Stipe, of Chabot College, will give a 30-minute presentation on Chagall’s art around 1:30 p.m.
Light refreshments will be available during the reception, which is free to attend. To find out more about LVA or the UNCLE Credit Union Gallery, visit https://livermorearts.org/visual-arts-2/.
