Arbre fleuri et maison verte sur fond bleu 1967

Marc Chagall made this painting of a flowering tree and a green house against a blue background using oil on canvas. The first thing I notice are the colours, they're so joyful! The paint is applied pretty thickly, you can almost feel the texture of the canvas underneath. It’s like he’s building up the image with these bold, confident strokes. Look closely at the way he's painted the flowers. They’re not delicate or precise, but there’s an energy and freedom in the way he’s captured their essence. It's like the painting is a conversation between different parts of himself, a sort of dreamlike vision. When I see this, I think of other artists like Matisse, who also used colour and bold shapes to express a sense of joy and vitality.