The Trough 1924

Marc Chagall made this print, The Trough, using lithography. Look how he coaxes so much tone and texture out of just black ink. It’s not just what he depicts – a woman, a goat, a trough – but how he depicts it. See how the marks build up, hatching over hatching, like thoughts layering on top of each other. The black ink has a real physical presence. You can see how it pools and gathers in some areas, creating deep shadows. In contrast, look at the goat’s flank, it’s like a field of soft, short grasses. Chagall is one of those artists, like Miro, who makes it look so easy but there’s a whole world of looking and feeling behind it. It's a conversation about how images can be both representational and totally abstract, a process that feels as old as art itself and as fresh as today. It shows how ambiguity can be a strength, opening up possibilities rather than closing them down.