I found myself in the vicinity of the Chagall mosaic yesterday, where office workers had spilled out onto the bank plaza to enjoy the nearly warm spring day. When the seasons are turning, there is hardly a better place to be than near the beatific Chagall mosaic entitled ‘Four Seasons.’ This monumental work celebrates the seasons, the sun, and the cycle of life.
Mystical wheel
To be honest, I am not really a huge fan of Chagall, but I do like this work’s mystical radiance. The earthy tableaux that compose the work capture life’s magic and some abiding sources of human joy.
Under their fig tree
Gathering what they’ve grown
Going up to town
The wondrous turmoil of society
It is certainly worth looking at on the way to the bank.
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Click here to watch a wonderful 30-minute documentary called The Monumental Art of Marc Chagall, which tells the story of the making of the ‘Four Seasons’ in 1974. The films documents Chagall and mosaic artists working together in the South of France to create the mosaic, which was then shipped here in many slabs, reassembled, then modified yet again. The footage showing M. and Madame Chagall here in Chicago at the Plaza, and the crowd on the day of the unveiling is simply divine. I think you will enjoy it very much!
Sasha says
It is amazing to think that for many years, this Chagall was left exposed to rain and every other indignity. My mother drew the back of his head during an art lecture. Too bad she didn’t see more.
Celia says
An astonishing fact. I too regret your mother didn’t have a chance to draw Chagall from a better angle.
Thank you, Sasha.
CHC
P.S. Be sure to check out the documentary that I just added to the bottom of the post–it’s a glorious look at the making of the mosaic in France and its installation and unveiling here. I think you’ll enjoy it.
harley says
It is amazing that it hasn’t weathered too badly–or has it? The colors still look pretty good but I will need to check out the video and see how it looked in 1974……….That bank plaza is a wonderful people-watching area during lunch hour when the weather is good.
Celia says
Harley–you are quite right–the mosaic is still in pretty fine shape as far as I can see. (Maybe it had to be repaired some at the point the glass dome was put on.) From the documentary, I learned that Chagall did not want the colors to be too intense. He wanted many of them to be mellow–a mellow pink color, a soft yellow–and he told the mosaicists putting the thing together, absolutely no black! Instead the lines are made with a cobalt blue. There are also stones in the mosaic made from pieces of Chicago brick that were added at the last moment. I really learned a lot from the documentary–fascinating!