Marc Chagall is typically not considered a realist. Instead, his art is often categorized as surreal and fantastical, blending elements of dreams, folklore, and imagination with real-life memories and experiences. While Realism focuses on depicting everyday life and the world with accuracy and detail, Chagall’s work often defies logic and conventional representation. His paintings regularily feature floating figures, vibrant colors, and dreamlike compositions that merge reality with fantasy. Nevertheless, he considered himself to be a realist.

Until 2 February 2025, the Albertina will be showing Chagall's work.

He has seen it all and still remained true to his style

Chagall’s creative period spans over 80 years and his style incorporates elements from various art movements, such as Cubism, Fauvism, and Surrealism, but he maintained his own unique approach. He used symbolic imagery and emotions to tell stories, rather than focusing on realistic or literal depictions of the world around him. His works were more about evoking feelings, spirituality, and poetic expression than mirroring the real world as it is. While Chagall's artistic journey included many transformations, he consistently retained his unique voice and emotional depth, making his work both timeless.

As always, I recommend a tour of the exhibition, which will deepen your understanding of Chagall's paintings.

Modern Times

A young visitor to the gallery sits absorbed in his mobile phone, his fingers rapidly swiping across the screen as he enters a vivid, dreamlike world of games and animations. Colors flash, and fantastical creatures come to life in the small glowing rectangle, pulling him deeper into an imagined realm. But all around him, in the real world, the walls are lined with masterpieces—paintings rich in color, emotion, and symbolism. Each artwork tells a story, filled with surreal landscapes and floating figures, yet the boy remains unaware, lost in a digital illusion. In the background, Marc Chagall is equally contemplative...

I can’t judge the visitor though—I was the same at his age, lost in my books, equally blind to the world around me.