The Lion and the Hunter 1927 - 1930

This is Marc Chagall’s etching of the Lion and the Hunter, and what strikes me is the scratchy, lively way he’s made this image. I imagine him bent over a metal plate, digging in with his tools, unsure of the outcome, but going for it anyway. The lion, a big fuzzy guy, looms over a hunter who’s been knocked onto his back. It’s a scene of surprise, maybe even humor, as if something unexpected has interrupted a carefully laid plan. I wonder if Chagall felt like the hunter sometimes, ambushed by his own imagination. That moment when you are creating something and it turns on you! The contrast between the dark, textured forms and the lighter, open spaces gives the image a dreamlike quality, like a story being told in whispers. And that tail, wagging defiantly, is like a brushstroke full of life. Isn’t it wild how one person's mark-making can inspire someone else's ideas and creativity!