Le Peintre 1976

Marc Chagall made this painting, "Le Peintre," at some point in his life, we don't have an exact date. It's like a memory, not fixed but flowing. Chagall’s paintings, they're not about making a perfect picture; they're about feeling. Look at how he uses color – that fiery red bumping up against the cool blue. The paint’s not trying to hide; it’s right there on the surface. Take that embrace on the left. It's like a dream, the way he's used the red to conjure love and passion. Now, over to the right, notice the yellow. It could be sunlight, but it’s also like a halo, bathing the painter and that cityscape in something holy. There is a push and pull between representation and abstraction. Chagall reminds me of Joan Miró, another artist who wasn’t afraid to let his imagination run wild. Both of them show us that art isn't about getting things right; it’s about opening up new worlds.