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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: 95.3 x 60.4 cm. (37 ½ x 23 ¾ in.), sheet: 116.8 x 75.8 cm. (46 x 29 ¾ in.)
In this piece, Chagall depicts a whimsical circus scene in which clowns, acrobats, musicians and half-man, half-animal creatures entertain the audience. Often seen as the artist’s exploration between our reality and a subconscious, dream-like 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 he would sit in the audience and sketch. The chaotic and colourful atmosphere of the circus captivated the young artist. Here, he saw all aspects of life represented, from the comic to the tragic. Circus performers, with their outlandish costumes and garish make-up, were ideal characters to populate Chagall’s dream-like compositions. Chagall later said, ‘for me a circus is a magic show that appears and disappears like a world.’
