Grandfather's House 1922

Editor: This is "Grandfather's House," an etching made in 1922 by Marc Chagall. It has a dreamlike quality to it, with figures disproportionately scaled against a very simplified home. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Looking at the materials and processes reveals a great deal. The starkness of the etching, the simple line work, all speak to accessibility. Etchings, while requiring skill, are reproducible. It wasn't unique like a painting, making it inherently tied to wider distribution. And look how the lines themselves – their thickness and deliberate quality – form and define space. What are they trying to make? Editor: I see that too; the figure on the roof really seems to dominate. He looks rather like a caricature, or a figure in folk art. Do you think the medium influenced his subject choices? Curator: Precisely! The choice of etching made it possible for Chagall to circulate images connected to folk art, connecting with wider audiences. This connects to labor, doesn't it? Consider the labour involved. Etching allowed an individual artist control over their own production and reproduction to a degree, circumventing to some extent traditional structures. What kind of statement do you think he’s trying to make with that? Editor: I hadn't thought about it in terms of artistic labor, but now I do see that the choice of material speaks to a broader artistic autonomy that fits the dreamlike and symbolist quality. It’s very individual, but designed for wide dissemination. Curator: And with a piece that centers on "home," we're compelled to think about that home as not just a shelter, but a product—of labor and material circumstances. The means by which the art is disseminated also carries its own set of socio-political considerations. This allows Chagall to bring these figures together with himself and make their own way in the world! Editor: I see a deeper complexity now, particularly related to the social aspects of making this kind of art. Thanks.