“I was born, one might say, between heaven and earth, that the world is for me a great desert in which my soul wanders like a torch, I did these paintings in unison with this distant dream.”
Marc Chagall achieved global recognition as one of the most eminent figures in the art world during his lifet.mes . By 1965, when the present work was painted, he had been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions and was consistently invited to undertake large-scale public art and stained glass projects. Notable examples include the Metz Cathedral in France (1958-1960), the Jewish synagogue at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem (1960-1962), the Paris Opera House (1964), the renowned "Peace Window" at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the monumental murals at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York (1966), the Grossmünster in Zurich (1967), the Reims Cathedral in France (1968), and the Chichester Cathedral in England (1963-1978). These endeavors further elevated Chagall's standing within the artistic community. His experience in designing stained glass windows was particularly significant during this period—as it not only showcased the artist's embrace of multiculturalism and his artistic vision of peace and hope, it also deepened his understanding and appreciation of colour. Painted in 1965, Fleurs ou Le bouquet champêtre epitomizes the renewed energy of this period of Chagall’s career whilst drawing on many of the key themes that underpin his work.
Fleurs ou Le bouquet champêtre encompasses many of Chagall’s iconic motifs—such as the luminous crescent moon in the background, the goat and bird, the distinctive roofs of the artist's hometown of Vitebsk, and even a symbolic self-portrait of the artist with his first wife, Bella. The fantastical creatures that inhabit Chagall’s canvases show the artist drawing on his rural upbringing. In Western mythology, goats represent desire, while birds symbolize love. By depicting himself as a goat, Chagall expresses his longing for Bella and his pursuit of love. The delicate details highlighted in the artwork evoke the love story between Chagall and Bella while stirring memories of the artist's Russian roots. These elements blend Chagall's personal memories, dreams, and desires, creating a dreamlike world.
At the center of the composition is a vibrant bouquet of flowers. Chagall intertwines rich cobalt blue with vibrant yellow, fiery red, and emerald green, echoing the iconic color combinations and intense luminosity of his stained glass projects. Through his rich painting techniques, Chagall uses thick and abstract brushstrokes to emphasize the power of the flowers, attracting the viewer’s attention through layers of vibrant pigments that construct the center of the sprawling flowers, exuding visual power.
These flowers are juxtaposed by a rich, otherworldly blue; the "Chagall blue" that can be seen in many of this most famous canvases. This distinctive hue was inspired by the brilliant blue of the Mediterranean Sea that became of increasing importance for Chagall after he moved to the South of France following the Second World War. As Chagall wrote of this important period of his life: ‘As I got nearer to the Côte d’Azur, I experienced a feeling of regeneration, something I hadn’t felt since childhood. The smell of flowers, a sort of new energy poured through me […]. Near to Nice already, I felt that numerous artists had come here, that it was a place where it was possible to establish oneself, to set oneself up. In such a town, you could write music, poetry, paint pictures […]. It was here I stayed. Perhaps I am feeling the years, but anyway this place has become to me like my hometown Vitebsk. As if I was rejuvenated, and that I was waiting for something. And this flower-filled world coloured my new life’ (quoted in Marc Chagall. Rétrospective 1908-1985 (exhibition catalogue), Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, 2015, p. 48, translated from French).
Fleurs ou Le bouquet champêtre is a remarkable work, emphasizing the artist's pursuit of art and love in life. |Filled with color and rich texture, it embodies the peaceful joy of his later years and his ongoing commitment to a singular artistic vision. As Françoise Gilot noted in her memoir, Picasso once remarked about Chagall, " When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is… His canvases are really painted, not just tossed together. Some of the last things he’s done in Vence convince me that there’s never been anybody since Renoir who has the feeling for light that Chagall has” (quoted in Françoise Gilot, Life with Picasso, New York, 1989, p. 282).
「可以說，我出生於天地之間，世界對我而言是一片廣闊的沙漠，我的靈魂如火炬般徘徊其中，我創作這些畫作與那遙遠的夢境共鳴。」
二十世紀的藝術家馬克・夏加爾於一九六五〇年代至一九六〇年代享譽全球，被公認為最傑出的藝術家之一。他舉辦了眾多個展，並連續受邀創作多項大型公共藝術及彩繪玻璃項目，當中包括法國梅斯大教堂（1958-1960年）、耶路撒冷哈達薩大學醫療中心的猶太教堂（1960-1962年）、巴黎歌劇院（1964年）、紐約聯合國總部著名的《和平之窗》（Peace Window）、紐約大都會歌劇院林肯中心的兩幅大型壁畫（1966年）、蘇黎世聖母大教堂（1967年）、法國蘭斯主教座堂（1968年）以及英國奇徹斯特座堂（1963-1978年）等等，進一步提升了他在藝術界的聲望。夏加爾設計彩色玻璃窗的經歷對他這一時期的繪畫尤為重要：不僅展示了藝術家對多元文化的包容，以及不同宗教和民族之間的和平橋樑的重建，也使他對色彩有了新的領悟和欣賞。創於1965年，《家鄉的鮮花》是他在這個時期創作的佳作，展示了夏加爾藝術生涯中的一次重大突破。
《家鄉的鮮花》中，濃郁的海藍色與艷麗的金黃、火紅和翠綠相互交織，呼應著夏加爾在彩色玻璃項目中標誌性色彩組合和強烈的光亮度。他透過豐富的繪畫技巧來進一步強調了花朵的色彩力量，通過層層疊加的充滿活力的顏料來構建花束來吸引觀者的目光。畫面中央以蔓的花束為主導，並採用濃重浮雕而抽象的筆觸，富有視覺力量。這些花朵的靈感源自夏加爾1924年到法國南部土倫的旅途中的景色。
本作蘊含著許多標誌性元素，如背景明亮的新月、山羊、鳥、藝術家家鄉維捷布斯克獨特的屋頂，甚至還有一副象徵性的自畫像和夏加爾的第一任妻子貝拉。夏加爾自童年與動物親密接觸，它們成為畫中描繪家鄉田野的代表性符號。在西方神話中，山羊代表愛欲、而鳥則是愛情的象徵。夏加爾通過將自己描繪成山羊，抒發對貝拉的渴望和對愛情的追求。種種細膩的細節呈現，凸顯了夏加爾與貝拉之間的愛情故事，同時喚起了藝術家對俄羅斯根源的回憶。這些元素融合了夏加爾的個人記憶、夢想和慾望，創造出一個如夢似真的幻想世界。 此外，畫面呈現藝術家極具代表性的「夏加爾藍」色調。這是源自1949年，夏加爾第二次旅遊地中海，他被地中海那深邃的海藍色彩所著迷，開始在他作品中大量使用奇妙的藍色，舖展所有畫的主旋律，想藉由藍色的空曠幽遠和帶著神一般的聖潔之水的幻境，昇華並洗滌他喪妻的悲痛，懷緬遽去的愛情。正如夏加爾在生命中這個重要時期所寫：「當我接近地中海海岸時，我感受到一種再生的感覺，這是我自童年以來就沒有感受過的。花香、某種新的能量湧過我身體[...] 接近尼斯時，我感覺到許多藝術家都來到了這裡，這是一個可以安頓下來、立足的地方。在這樣的城鎮裡，你可以創作音樂、詩歌、繪畫[...]。我就是在這裡停留下來。也許我已經感受到了歲月的流轉，但無論如何，這個地方對我來說就像我的家鄉維捷布斯克。彷彿我重返年輕，並等待著某些事情的發生。這個充滿花朵的世界為我的新生活增添了色彩。」（摘自《馬克·夏加爾回顧展1908-1985》（展覽目錄），比利時皇家美術館，布魯塞爾，2015年，第48頁，翻譯自法語
《家鄉的鮮花》是夏加爾藝術生涯中的絕佳之作，其凸顯藝術家對於生命中藝術與愛的追求，並表達了對和平的渴望，藉此將人類凝聚為一，賦予作品深遠的情感內涵。夏加爾對於色彩的獨到理解更增添了本作的魅力。正如弗蘭索娃・吉洛在她的回憶錄中曾記述畢加索對夏加爾的評價：「當馬蒂斯辭世後，夏加爾將成為唯一一位真正領悟色彩本質的畫家...... 他的畫布呈現出真正的繪畫技巧，而非隨意揮灑。夏加爾在旺斯所創作的最新作品令我深信，自雷諾阿以來，再也沒有任何畫家能像他一樣敏銳地捕捉光線之韻律。」（引自弗朗索瓦絲・吉洛及C・盧克《與畢卡索的生活》，紐約，1964年，282頁）。