His mixed background gave him insights into how the world grew, thanks to industrialisation, technology and urbanisation.
A Fortune Teller and a Gypsy
It is a watercolour painting drawn with pencil and Gouache on canvas. Chagall did the painting in 1942, a few years after relocating to the United States. The painting shows two men, one in multi-coloured dressing and the other in conservative colours. Pitting the two characters in the same picture denotes two distinct cultures, which modernism seeks to address.
Gypsies live a fast life and roam all over Asia, Europe and America. On the other hand, fortune tellers are reserved people who believe in orderly lives. Gauging from the dressing, the gypsy looks carefree, while the fortune teller is covered up. The contrast between the two characters denotes the coming to birth of social civility.
Chagall got inspiration from the diverse cultures of the United States, which was liberal compared to his country of birth. New York was at the heart of the fast world, and the painting was a perfect illustration. What makes the painting stand out is the use of colours. Chagall was good with colours, which earned him fame among the Modernists. The last known owner of Marc Chagall’s A Fortune Teller and a Gypsy painting was Lillie Bequest.
Inspiration Behind A Fortune Teller and a Gypsy
Chagall is originally from Western Europe, but his lineage came from Eastern Europe. He was born during the industrialisation period and witnessed the world evolve. Both worlds inspired his drawing, and when he moved to the United States, everything became crystal clear.
Compared to other painters in the Modernist art style, Chagall wasn’t the most productive. However, the few times he painted, his drawings were masterpieces. His life resembled that of a gypsy, thanks to the trips he made searching for inspiration.
Marc Chagall's Paintings Around that Time with the Same Theme
A Fortune Teller and a Gypsy came around the same time Marc Chagall painted the Zemphira, Gypsies and a Horse, A Street Dance and A Bandura Player. These paintings were lively, showing a vibrant and awakening culture. Chagall’s experience with colours perfected the finishing, which brought out modernism with respect to realism and other art philosophies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
