Calvary 1912

This painting, "Calvary" by Marc Chagall, is like a dream, all done in muted greens, reds, and blues. It's like he built it up slowly, with layer upon layer of paint, until it arrived somewhere between representation and abstraction. I wonder what Chagall was thinking when he made this? The paint feels thin here, like watercolor almost, except it's oil. He's not trying to fool us with any illusionism or fancy tricks. The colors don't blend in a naturalistic way, but exist as separate blocks. I’m drawn to the figure on the right carrying a ladder. The way he daubs the paint on, in these nervous strokes, reminds me of the way Soutine used paint, but with a totally different, lighter mood. For me, painting is an ongoing conversation. Every gesture is a thought, an argument, or a song. It's a way of thinking with your hands, of making sense of the world through the push and pull of color and form, and Chagall makes you think about all of this here.