Marc Chagall (Russian-French, 1887-1985), "Maternity and Centaur," Mourlot #195, 1957. Color lithograph, Edition 56/90. Signed in pencil at the lower right. A stunning lithograph in colors that presents a dreamy Surrealist composition including a centaur playing a wind instrument in blue and grey before a domed house of worship in green and blue, as well as a tranquil mother and child in pink before a vernacular log home in golden yellow, with a celestial orb - perhaps the moon, the sun, or a planet of the solar system - also in golden yellow hues. The piece is signed in pencil by the artist on the lower right and numbered 56/90 on the lower left. Comes with a lovely double mat. Size: 13.125" L x 11.75" W (33.3 cm x 29.8 cm); 22" L x 20" W (55.9 cm x 50.8 cm) with mat Chagall (born Moishe Zakharovich Shagal) was truly a poet of the art world - a Russian-French artist of Belarusian Jewish origin. While many of his contemporaries were driven to pursue pure abstraction or non-objectivity, Chagall was faithful to figurative art, albeit with a Surrealist, Expressionist, Cubist, or Suprematist twist. Born in Russia, Chagall moved to France in 1910 where he became a shining star of the Ecole de Paris. As the years went on, Chagall also spent time in the United States as well as the Middle East. His identity as a Jew was very important to him, and in much of his oeuvre, Chagall imbues his modernism with Jewish traditions and imagery. Although many scholars have attempted to decode Chagall's symbolism, this has proven to be a difficult nut to crack. According to Jean-Michel Foray, director of the Marc Chagall Biblical Message Museum in Nice, "Some art historians have sought to decrypt his symbols, but there’s no consensus on what they mean. We cannot interpret them because they are simply part of his world, like figures from a dream." (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-elusive-marc-chagall-95114921/#4yF3PUQT3jbS8Axk.99) Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century" (though Chagall saw his work as 'not the dream of one people but of all humanity'). According to art historian Michael J. Lewis, Chagall was considered to be "the last survivor of the first generation of European modernists." Using the medium of stained glass he produced windows for the cathedrals of Reims and Metz, windows for the United Nations, and the Jerusalem Windows in Israel. He also did large-scale paintings, including part of the ceiling of the Paris Opera. Provenance: Ex-Denenberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles, California, USA All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #136697