Art FIFA 2016: Chagal

Chagall, peintre de la musique

Chagall, Painter of the Music

Film by Mathilde Deschamps Lotthé

France | French | 2015 | 53 min

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

This film, full of colour and music, is wonderful to watch. It presents life and work of Marc Chagall in a comprehensive and sensitive way. An early modernist, he was associated with several major artistic styles and created works in virtually every artistic medium, including painting, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, costume designs, ceramic, tapestries, and fine art prints. He produced windows for the cathedrals of Reims and Metz, windows for the UN, and the Jerusalem Windows in Israel. He also did large-scale paintings, including part of the ceiling of the Paris Opéra (see the photo above, click to enlarge).

Film shows convincingly how important music was for Chagall, and how music leitmotivs ran throughout his creations. It contains many photographs, several film clippings with Chagall commenting about his art, and many interviews with the art expects and those who preserve his works. His granddaughter also appears in the film.

Chagall's poetic, figurative style made him one of the most popular modern artists. His long life and the variety of his artistic output made him one of the most internationally recognized.

Official Synopses: 

"When we think of the Russian-French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985), what comes to mind are pairs of lovers in the sky, colourful bouquets and dreamlike representations of transformed reality. What is less known is that Chagall had a a close relationship with music, a passion that came from a childhood steeped in Klezmer music and liturgical psalms. This film shows how this passion was expressed in his work, from his recurring representations of musical instruments to his sets and costumes for opera and ballet." 

Mathilde Deschamps Lotthé

Mathilde Deschamps Lotthé makes human-interest documentaries, specializing over the last decade in subjects relating to heritage and the arts.

Filmography | Passion patrimoine : De l'Auvergne à la Lorraine (2011) et De l'Auvergne à l'Alsace (2012), émission Des Racines et des ailes ; Sur les pas de Mozart (2012) ; Picasso et les photographes (2013).

Production Team:

Screenplay Mathilde Deschamps Lotthé
Cinematography Franck Carimalo, Jennifer Luby
Sound Bruno Diego
Artists Marc Chagall
Production avec la participation de France 5, Eclectic Production
Distribution Eclectic Production

For more information and film scheduling, visit the Art FIFA website.

FILM TRAILER