Sale: Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, 6th June 🐽2008, lot 20

The canvas is unlined and there is no evidence of retouching under ultra-violet light. This work is in very good original condition, and the original thick impasto is well preserved. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although stronger and more vibrant in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Chagall's monumental La Joie au cirque is a bold and resplendent example of the creative energy and sense of theatre which the artist never ceased to find in the subject of the circus. Chagall developed his fascination with the circus during his formative years in Vitebsk, and later in Paris, where he frequently attended performances in the company of Ambroise Vollard. The theme was of great significance to the artist as a poetic, visionary experience – a transcendental parallel to real life which indulged his imagination and propensity towards pure, lyrical escapism: 'it is a magic word, circus, a timeless dancing game where tears and smiles, the play of arms and legs take the form of a great art' (Marc Chagall, Le Cirque (exhibition catalogue), Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, 1981, n.p.). This most poignant of themes was to recur often throughout Chagall's oeuvre.

 

La Joie au cirque is a vivid phantasmagoria, a diverse pictorial scheme comprised of many different episodes in the circus performance. Each one has been compartmentalised by Chagall's use of distinct colour areas. On the left side of the canvas one sees a Parisian skyline and to the right, the rooftops of the artist's native Vitebsk. The composition is animated by a band of musicians who dance across the picture surface. Lionello Venturi has alluded to the highly emotive quality with which Chagall imbues the circus theme: 'Chagall's images of circus people [...] are at once burlesque and tender. Their perspective of sentiment, their fantastic forms, suggest that the painter is amusing himself in a freer mood than usual; and the result is eloquent of the unmistakable purity flowing from Chagall's heart. These circus scenes are mature realisations of earlier dreams' (L. Venturi, Marc Chagall, New York, 1945, p. 39).