Title: The couple at Twilight
Le couple au Crépuscule (s.9673)
Medium: Original Lithograph, in colours, 1980, on Velin Arches paper, with full margins, signed by the artist in pencil lower right margin.
Size: Image: 37 x 23 ¼ in. (940 x 591 mm.) Sheet: 45 7/8 x 29 ¾ in. (1165 x 756 mm.) Framed: 141 x 104 x 6 cm (41 ¾” x 55 ½” Inches)
References:
1. Galerie Maeght S.A., Lithographies et Gravures Originales, 1981. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 14 on pg. 25, illustrated on pg. 35.
2. Gauss, Ulrike, ed. Marc Chagall: The Lithographs, La Collection Sorlier, illustrated on pg. 368 as cat. no. 972.
3.Mourlot Chagall Lithographs 1980-1985, vol. VI. Crown Publishers, Inc.: New York. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 972 on pgs. 44-45.
Edition: 48/50
Published by : Galerie Maeght, Paris
Notes: This work is from a series entitled, “The Fourteen Large Lithographs of 1980” . They are truly monumental in scale and our example is no exception. It was the editor Aimé Maeght who had the idea of asking Chagall to realise a few large scale lithographs. At first Chagall was a little reticent. But he wanted to please Aimé Maeght and so he began to work. Almost at once he became completely absorbed in the project and went well beyond the editor's request, since he was soon working on fourteen plates. Utilising a vibrant colour palette and soft strokes, Chagall creates a whimsical work that conveys a sense of calm and ease. In our example two lovers stand side by side and gaze adoringly into each other's eyes. They appear in a field with the cityscape behind them. The young man holds a green bouquet and looks as though he is about to offer it to his lovely companion as a symbol of his love and affection. Throughout the composition, fanciful figures float and drift. A flute-player rests near the woman while a figure paints in the upper left corner and two lovers soar in the brilliant blue sky. However, the couple, placed strategically at the front of the composition, does not appear to notice the tiny figures amidst them; they are oblivious to the world around them, absorbed in their thoughts of love
