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Lithograph in colours, 1980, on Arches paper, signed in pencil, numbered from the edition of 50, published by Maeght Editeur, Paris, image: 59.7 x 94.9 cm. (23 ½ x 37 3/8 in.), sheet: 75.6 x 116.8 cm. (29 ¾ x 46 in.)
In this vibrant and energetic depiction of a modern circus scene, we can see the artist’s exploration between our reality and a subconscious, dreamlike state. Chagall drew inspiration from the theme of the circus throughout his life. As a child in Russia, he had been fascinated by the travelling acrobats he saw at village fairs. After he moved to Paris, the famous art dealer Ambroise Vollard regularly accompanied him to the circus, where Chagall would sit in the audience and sketch. The chaotic and colourful atmosphere of the circus captivated Chagall as did the fact that in the circus all aspects of life were represented, from the comic to the tragic. The circus performers, with their outlandish costumes and garish make-up, were ideal characters to populate Chagall’s dreamlike compositions. He later said, ‘for me a circus is a magic show that appears and disappears like a world.’
