Marc Chagall, L'arc en ciel, da la Bible (Rainbow, from the Bible), 1969

Artist: Marc Chagall (1887 - 1985)
Title:L'arc en ciel, da La Bible
Reference:V. 202
Medium:Etching with hand-coloring on Arches paper
Image Size:11 15/16 in x 9 1/8 in (30.3 cm x 23.2 cm)
Sheet Size:21 3/16 in x 15 3/8 in (53.8 cm x 39 cm)
Edition:Numbered from the edition of 100.
Signature:Initialed in pencil by Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887 - Saint-Paul, 1985)
Condition:This work is in excellent condition.
ID #w-7208

Historical Description

Marc Chagall L'arc en ciel, da la Bible (Rainbow, from the Bible), 1969 illustrates the biblical story in which God forms a rainbow as a promise never to destroy all life on Earth with a flood again. Instead of brandishing a vibrant array of color, however, Chagall's depiction of the rainbow represents the absence of color. The gray color scheme of this image evokes the aftermath of rain, which contrasts the arching white band that spans across the composition. Such an unconventional imagining of the rainbow encourages different ways of perceiving the phenomenon and understanding the biblical story. The angelic figure transgressing the arching white band implicates a spiritual or otherworldly presence, alluding to the origin story of the rainbow as explained in the Bible. The largely monochromatic hues and colorless rainbow in Marc Chagall L'arc en ciel, da la Bible (Rainbow, from the Bible) offer a novel visualization of the popular biblical story.

Created in 1969, Marc Chagall L'arc en ciel, da la Bible (Rainbow, from the Bible), 1969 is an etching with hand-coloring on Arches paper. Numbered from the edition of 100 in pencil in the lower left, this piece was hand signed by Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887 - Saint-Paul, 1985) in pencil in the lower right.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Marc Chagall L'arc en ciel, da la Bible (Rainbow, from the Bible), 1969 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).

1. Cramer, Patrick. Marc Chagall The Illustrated Books. Geneva: Patrick Cramer, 1995. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 30 on pgs. 110-111.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Marc Chagall L'arc en ciel, da la Bible (Rainbow, from the Bible), 1969 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.

Subject Matter: Biblical