Father's Grave 1922

This print is by Marc Chagall, and it’s called "Father’s Grave." It has this dreamy, otherworldly feel to it, mostly rendered in a monochrome palette, with these delicate, almost feathery lines. You can feel the artist working through the plate, scratching away, making marks, a real sense of process. I love how the texture comes alive in the details. See the figure lying prostrate, almost blending into the earth? The lines are so fine there, creating a sense of vulnerability. Then, your eye is drawn up to the gravestone, with the Hebrew inscriptions and Star of David hovering above it. There’s a stark contrast in the weight of the lines here, creating a visual anchor. Look at the trees in the background, they are built up with these layers of hatching. You can almost feel the weight of grief, but also, the persistence of life. Chagall often played with these themes of memory and identity, and you can see it echoed in his paintings too. It's like a conversation between mediums, each informing the other. Much like how Paula Modersohn-Becker grappled with similar subjects, there is this sense of reaching into the depths of emotion through the act of making.