Marc Chagall, born July 7th 1887, was a Russian-French artist and was one of the most successful artists of the twentieth century. He was associated with several key art movements and created works in virtually every artistic medium including: paintings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics, tapestries and fine art prints.

The painting above, I and the Village, is perhaps one of Chagall’s most famous works and was painted in 1911 making 2012 its 101st anniversary. Considering that this upcoming July 7th 2012 will also mark the 125th birthday of Marc Chagall, it is only fitting to remember this legend and his work.

Thought to be a portrayal of the artist’s small village in which he grew up, this painting connects the intimate and personal with the vast and far-reaching by including houses and an Orthodox church from the artist’s Hasidic Community with varieties of large and small circular forms representing the sun’s revolution in orbit, the earth’s revolution around the sun and the moon’s revolution around the earth.

This is one of my favorite works by Chagall because of its ability to convey the connection between nature and humans. Through symbols and graphics Chagall depicts the mutual interdependence of humans, animals and plants.

I and the Village is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY.

More about Marc Chagall’s work can be found here: Park West Marc Chagall Collection