Master Artists

Question 1

Marc Chagall

Answer 1

• Chagall was a 20th century master artist and lived nearly100 years: 1887-1985.
• Chagall is best known for having revolutionized color lithography, a medium that, until his work proved otherwise, was frequently regarded as a mere ‘copyists tool’. After a lifetime of dedication he is now considered the greatest color lithographer of all time. His graphic works are excellent for smart collectors who are looking for quality artwork.
• Chagall believes the artist was a reflection of the “creator.” He believed God’s art is nature and sought to create his own “nature” through his artwork. He said, “When I make a painting, I put it up next to a God made object like a flower or a tree, and if it clashes, it is not “art.”
• Chagall was commissioned to paint the new ceiling for the Paris Opera, a majestic 19th century building and national monument. Though it was controversial to have a Russian Jew paint a French monument, the French press unanimously declared Chagall’s work to be a great contribution to French culture upon the unveiling of the new ceiling.
• Chagall’s art defies classification. He was a Fauvist, a Surrealist, a Cubist and a Symbolist. He was able to take the greatest aspects of all of modern art and create something that inspired happiness worldwide. Chagall gives collectors the ability to own special, beautiful artwork that is unlike anything else in the art world.
• Chagall created a lithograph on the last day of his life, March 28, 1985.

Question 2

Marc Chagall - Bible Series

Answer 2

• Chagall was commissioned to do the series in 1930 by Parisian art dealer Ambroise Vollard. Chagall spent three months in Palestine where he made the gouaches, which served as models for the works. He completed 66 of the plates by 1939 during Hitler’s rise to power, returning to the project 13 years later after the Holocaust. He completed the series in 1956.
• Chagall worked on the Bible Series etchings over a twenty- five-year period. Chagall chose to illustrate Biblical scenes that reflected the recent experience of the Jews in Europe. This was to be Chagall’s last great series of etchings.
• The Bible prints show Chagall’s fluid forms, dreamlike sense of space and unique style. In his choice of subject matter, Chagall reveals his reading of the Old Testament in its moments of triumph, sorrow, and prophecy.
• Chagall fulfilled his original intention of meticulously applying watercolors by hand to 85 of the complete 200-set edition. These hand colored sets soon became the most prized and sought after portion of the edition, since they are closest to Chagall’s original intent and vision. The Bible Series is in the permanent collection of the Haggerty Museum at Marquette University.

Question 3

Pablo Picasso

Answer 3

• Pablo Picasso is unquestionably the most famous artist of the 20th Century, if not all of history. In his artistic life, lasting more than 75 years, he created tens of thousands of works, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, original lithographs, etchings, linoleum cuts and ceramics.
• No single artist has had a greater influence on modern art and has changed art more profoundly in the 20th Century.
• Picasso has been described as having lived several lifetimes artistically. He created Cubism with Georges Braque and continued thereafter to develop his art with a velocity that is comparable to the pace and dramatic change of the 20th century.
• Picasso became one of the most important original printmakers of all time. He was never content to use any media in its purely traditional way, and he revolutionized many of the graphic media he employed.
• Park West has one of the largest collections of hand-signed Picasso graphic works in the world.

Question 4

Pable Picasoo - 347 Series

Answer 4

• In 1968, Picasso created 347 etchings in the span of only 7 months. For perspective, consider that Rembrandt, widely regarded for his expertise in the field of etching, created only 300 to 400 etchings in his entire lifetime. Here we see Picasso creating 347 etchings in 7 months at the age of 86! The 347 series stands as Picasso’s last great achievement in the field of graphic arts. The suite is a testament to this mans genius, both in the skill & quality of the work as well as the sheer depth of his creativity.
• The 347 Series are among the last hand-signed etchings and engravings Picasso ever created, with each of the original plates being etched or engraved by the hand of Picasso alone. These rare works have fetched very strong prices in the world’s auction markets. Individual etchings and engravings from the suite have been sold at international auction at six-figure prices
• The complete 347 Series is part of the permanent collection of 7 museums and institutions around the world
• The content of the suite is equally fascinating. Picasso said he was “writing fiction” with his creation of the 347 Series.
• The signed suites present a unique and exclusive collecting opportunity. There are only 50 signed examples in the regular edition, and an even more exclusive set of 17 artist proofs.
• Several works from this series hang in the collection at The Henry.

Question 5

Rembrandt Van Rijn

Answer 5

• Rembrandt lived from 1606-1669, just 63 years – relatively old for the 17th century. He married at age 22 and had 4 children, 3 of whom died as children, before his wife of 8 years also died at age 30.
• Rembrandt is universally regarded as the greatest etcher who has ever lived, and his etchings are unparalleled in their technical achievement and their beauty.
• Rembrandt painted for a living, but his true passion in life was etching. It has been said that Rembrandt would carry around a copper plate the way most artists would carry around a sketch book. In many ways his etchings are some of his most creative and influential works of art he ever produced, making them highly desirable to collectors.
• Rembrandt is the master of chiaroscuro, a term that refers to a strong, self-conscious juxtaposition of light and shade and resulting in a stunning visual effect in a work of art.
• The technique was initially pioneered by Leonardo da Vinci, further developed by Caravaggio, and finally perfected by Rembrandt. Over the course of his career Rembrandt consistently deployed chiaroscuro to produce some of the most visually arresting and psychologically evocative paintings in the history of art.
• One never really “owns” a Rembrandt etching. One pays for the privilege of being the caretaker of a precious object that has been preserved and protected in many cases for centuries, only to pass it on to future generations.
• Eighty-one of Rembrandts plates survived Rembrandts death, but to this day it remains a secret to where they went. Throughout history, plates would occasionally reappear. For example, in 1767, nearly 100 years after Rembrandt’s death, 53 Rembrandt plates were purchased at auction by Charles Henri Watelet.
• Throughout history, various plates were re-touched and reprinted by maser craftsmen. Releases of impressions from Rembrandt’s copper plates are both rare and historic, and any time a collector has this happen in their lifetime it becomes an extremely historic and exciting opportunity for collectors.
• Over a 10 year period, from 1994 to 2003, Emiliano Sorini and Marjorie Van Dyke created limited editions of 2500 examples of each of 8 images, marking the first time in history that limited edition Rembrandt works have ever been created. These 8 works are known as “The Millennium Editions.”