FEMME À LA BOUGIE OU MA GRAND-MÈRE 1926 - 1927

Marc Chagall made this painting of, or perhaps about, his grandmother with paint and maybe chalk, but definitely with feeling. The approach to colour here is just so open! He’s not afraid to be a little raw, like it’s all about the process of remembering, not just the memory itself. Looking at the surface, you can almost feel the grain of the paper. See how the colours bleed and blend, but also stay distinct. It’s like he’s layering emotions, letting them mix but keeping their own identities. I love how the blue scribbles on her headscarf and dress lead your eye around the canvas. They’re like little pathways through his mind. The orange on her cheek feels so immediate, like a sudden flush of warmth. There is something of the Fauves here, maybe Matisse, but it's all Chagall. For him, art seems to be about embracing the messiness of life and memory, not tidying it up. It's like he's saying, "Here's my world, take it or leave it, but it's mine!"