Lithographs

“When I held a lithographic stone or a copperplate in my hand I thought I was touching a talisman,” Marc Chagall wrote in 1960. “It seemed to me that I could put all my joys and sorrows in it.” Since his earliest prints in 1922, Chagall turned to lithography to create dream-like compositions, often featuring floating angels, ethereal human bodies, and fantastical animals. In 1950, Chagall found new inspiration in color lithography after Atelier Mourlot director Fernand Mourlot and master lithograph printer Charles Sorlier introduced him to the technique. Over the next 35 years, Chagall worked with Sorlier to push the medium forward, finding innovative ways to fill his compositions with dozens of unique hues. A highlight from this era is Chagall’s Daphnis and Chloe (1961), a series of 42 luminous lithographs that required four years and 1,000 zinc plates to complete. Some of these lithographs boast as many as 25 unique colors, a technical feat showcasing Chagall’s mastery of the medium.