The Lion Grown Old 1927 - 1930

Marc Chagall made this print, The Lion Grown Old, using etching, and it’s all about the lines, right? See how they swarm and gather, building up a kind of vibrating surface? It's like he's not just describing a lion, but the whole idea of "lion-ness," all that power and presence distilled into these frantic marks. Up close, you can see the bite of the acid on the plate, the way the lines are both delicate and fierce. Look at the lion’s face; those scribbled lines give him such a weary, knowing expression. And the other animals, all jittery and nervous around him, are barely contained by the lines. It makes me think of other artists who used line in such an expressive way, like Otto Dix, but Chagall has this dreamlike quality, a tenderness even in the face of aging and vulnerability. Art doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be honest.