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December 10, 2003

Culture

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Chagall: Storyteller

Lynn Paus
OP Contributor

The Vancouver Art Gallery is
currently showing a_ special
exhibit that gives us a unique

- opportunity to feast our eyes on

a selection of works by Marc
Chagall (1877-1985). This sur-
vey of Chagall’s work is the first
to be presented in Vancouver
and it focuses on his illustrations
of several different classic manu-
scripts. These rare works by one
of Europe's greatest 20th-century
artists will be in Vancouver until
February 8, 2004.

Born in Russia in 1887,
Chagall lived well into his 90s
and enjoyed a prolific career that
spanned more than eight decades
of the twentieth century. Much
of his inspiration was drawn
from his childhood in the
Russian village of Vitebsk. His
fantastic and whimsical subjects
reflect his love of Russian folk art
and his roots in the Hasidic
Jewish culture into which he was
born. Although he settled ulti-
mately in France, he also lived
and worked in Russia, Germany,
and North America. His style
was always distinctly his own,
although at different times his
work reflected influences of the
movements he encountered in
France and Germany: Fauvism,
Cubism, Expressionism, and
Surrealism. Best remembered as
a painter, Chagall also made
etchings, drypoints, lithographs,

and gouaches to illustrate manu-
scripts. Additionally, he created
collages, mosaics, ceramics,
sculptures, tapestries, stage
designs, and also became one of
the most famous stained-glass
artists of modern times.

The Chagall: Storyteller exhib-
it is made up of over 200 works
that include etchings, drypoints,
lithographs, gouaches, and works
on paper. These works were
commissioned during the early
twentieth century to illustrate
classic masterpieces of literature
and are outstanding examples of
both Chagall’s development as a
master printmaker as well as his
unique artistic ability to tell a
story.

The Vancouver Art Gallery
exhibit focuses on the artist's
illustrations of four classic pieces
of literature.

The first, Chagall’s illustra-
tions for the Russian satire Dead
Souls by Nikolai Gogol, captures
and caricatures the manners of
the inhabitants of small Russian
towns during the 1830's. These
black-and-white etchings are
amazing because of Chagall’s
ability to portray humour,
action, and character with a few
telling lines.

The second, a series of Bible
illustrations Chagall was com-
missioned to create in 1930,
“...resulted in a unique and per-

sonal vision of his religious
roots.” These illustrations show
his depth of understanding and
sympathy for peoples’ relation-
ships with each other and for
their spiritual relationship with
their God.

Thirdly, the exhibit includes a
number of works that Chagall
did to illustrate the French liter-
ature classic Fables by Jean De La
Fontaine. Chagall has not illus-
trated these fables ina conven-
tional sense, but seems to convey
the essence of the fable through
building up series of blots,
smudges, and scratches, which
miraculously blend into recog-
nizable creatures and elements
from nature.

Finally, are Chagall’s litho-
graphs illustrating the ancient
love story of two Greek
teenagers, Daphnis and Chloe.
These lithographs are universally
accepted as Chagall’s most
important prints and their
dreamlike images enthrall with
their rich, glowing colours.
These prints alone are worth the
price of admission.

In addition to the collection of
illustrations, the VAG also has a
number of Chagall’s other works
and I highly recommend that
you take the time to view the
haunting and exotic “The
Praying Jew” (Rabbi of Vitebsk).
The striking patterns, abstract

 

background, and slightly distort-
ed features of the old rabbi, show
Chagall’s absorption of modern
tendencies, especially of Cubism.
Chagall created a number of
variations of this painting, many
of which have permanent homes
in some of the most famous art
galleries in the world.

This is a unique opportunity
to see some of Marc Chagall’s
work —_ up-close-and-personal
without having to shell out an
enormous amount in airfare and

hotels in order to see them in
their permanent homes. Make
an afternoon of it—take the
Skytrain downtown, visit the
gallery, wander along Robson
Street, and have a hot dog. We
live in a beautiful city, support
your local gallery and the arts
community in Vancouver and

check out Chagall: Storyteller.

For more information call
604.662.4700, or visit

<www.vanartgallery.bc.ca>.

 

 

 

 

 

i

Amanda Aikman
Culture Editor

 

No one can make a Tim Burton film like Tim
Burton, and Big Fish is definitely a Tim Burton
film. This whimsical tale is once again host to the
trademark surreal enchantment that made the cele-
brated filmmaker’s previous works like Edward
Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and The Nightmare Before
Christmas so memorable.

This time around Burton’s charming and unique
vision brings to life the larger than life story of
Edward Bloom (what is it about guys named Ed in
Tim Burton films anyway?), a traveling salesman
with a predilection toward tall tales. Bloom, played
by the charismatic Albert Finney, is dying and his
estranged son Will, played by the beautiful Billy
Crudup, has returned home with hopes of finally
uncovering the truth of his heritage from beneath
the layers of his father’s fables. What he discovers in
the process, however, is that his father’s storytelling
is its own form of truth—one that he eventually
learns to embrace.

The ailing Bloom spins a series of charming yarns

 

for his son’s wife Josephine (Marion Cotillard) tak-
ing us along with her on a magical mystery tour
filled with fantastical characters and touching sub-
text. Ewan McGregor, in an engaging performance
as the “big fish” in the small town of Ashton,
Alabama, is perfectly cast as the young Edward
Bloom. His wide-eyed, head-in-the-clouds
demeanour leaps off the screen in true fairytale
fashion as the aging Bloom reminisces over his life-
time of extraordinary adventures.

Through Bloom’s wondrous stories we meet such
otherworldly characters as a lonely giant, a prophet-
ic witch, a poet-turned-bank robber, a circus ring-
master who is part werewolf, and a conjoined sister
singing act, just to name a few. Listening to his
father retell the same implausible stories he had
been hearing his entire life, Will becomes more anx-
ious to get the “real” facts. Setting out to debunk his
father’s mythical life Will ends up realizing that
sometimes truth, if not stranger, can at least be
almost as strange as fiction after all.

 

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