The Two Pigeons 1927 - 1930

Marc Chagall made this black ink artwork, "The Two Pigeons," by etching lines into a plate. Imagine the scratching and the wiping away. The pigeons are perched on a mass of scribbled branches; the details of the foliage lost in a network of strokes. There’s such intimacy in the way these birds are nuzzling. I can imagine Chagall hunched over the plate, drawing in this shorthand, abbreviating feeling into a few simple lines. It makes me think of other artists who work with such graphic economy—like Cy Twombly, how he could say so much with a single, looping gesture. Each artist develops a visual language that speaks to their particular way of seeing and interpreting the world. Artists are always in conversation, borrowing and building upon each other's ideas and processes, and each new work adds another layer to this ongoing dialogue. We leave our mark, then pass it on.