The Milkmaid and the Milk-Pail 1927 - 1930

Marc Chagall made this etching, The Milkmaid and the Milk-Pail, using a monochromatic palette and lots of very fine, active marks. I love to imagine him in the studio, drawing and re-drawing with a sharp tool, maybe even muttering to himself, trying to capture the very essence of this folk tale. The tiny lines give so much energy to the work, almost like a nervous system of marks, holding the whole image together. It feels like the picture is constantly moving, growing, and reforming itself. I wonder if Chagall ever felt like he was wrestling with the image, trying to pin down something fleeting and intangible. You can see the building and animals in the distance but they are also floating above the main scene. I guess the milkmaid is too since the ground seems to also be sky. Chagall is always playing with perspective and scale, which is something I always find interesting. He reminds us that art-making is a process of exploration, of grappling with ideas and emotions, and of finding new ways to see and experience the world.