CHAGALL & DUFY
Paintings, watercolours & drawings
Harmonies Parallèles

Paris during the early 20th century was the very epicentre of the art world; cradling artistic movements of the Avant Garde and nurturing the freethinking individual. For those of independent spirit and prodigious talent like Marc Chagall and Raoul Dufy, it was the perfect setting for the development of their work.

Although located in Paris at the same time, these two major artists never exhibited together. On first glance, the bohemian from Vitebsk and the elegant Frenchman seem to have little in common. Yet a closer inspection their work reveals fascinating similarities between two artists surprisingly alike in both mind and technique.

Abandoning the intellectual strictures of the day, neither Chagall nor Dufy allowed themselves to be constrained by artistic alliance, grouping or manifesto. Their work was instead characterised by an abundance of talent; of flowing composition and colour.

Using only intuition as their guide both artists sought to free themselves from the rules of perspective. Allowing their imaginations to run free with the subjects that most excited them, they created works without rules, governed instead by harmony and freedom. Often working incessantly on variations of the same theme, key places and subjects reoccur within their canvas: Vitebsk and Nice, brides and swimmers. In building their own iconography with the distinctive use of motifs, each artist created a unique language spoken through emotion and imagination.

Their free spirited nature similarly led both artists to explore the possibilities of a wide range of media. From costume design and ballet scenery, to illustration and ceramics; each new venture further developing their artistic language and capabilities.

Whether Chagall’s gravity defying figures or Dufy’s vibrant sailing regattas, both artists are ultimately defined by light, colour and their “joie de vivre”. The spontaneity and imagination of the works offer a unique insight and depiction of their epoch.

In bringing Chagall and Dufy together, we see more clearly their full significance as the fathers of modern art – precursors to a contemporary artworld that knows no boundaries save for talent, obsession and dreams.