Artsy Insight: The Broad Spectrum of Chagall

Artsy Editors

Feb 18, 2013 10:06pm

“Color is all. When color is right, form is right,” said Marc Chagall, who charmed nearly every object he encountered with a colorful Midas touch. Although Chagall is better known for his paintings, a new exhibition, "Chagall: Beyond Color" at the Dallas Museum of Art, highlights the lesser-known but equally captivating works of the artist, spanning watercolor, sculpture, and hand-painted ballet costumes, which are elegantly poised as the centerpiece of the show. As a 1942 commission for the Léonide Massine choreographed ballet Aleko, Chagall traveled to Mexico City where he was inspired by “the primitive ways and colorful art of the Mexicans”—seen not only in the garments but in the complementing works of the exhibition.

The costumes earned no less than 19 curtain calls, and aside from a brief stint with the Ballet Theatre of New York, have not been seen in the United States again until now, on view through May 26th.