Self Portrait in the Style of Marc Chagall by Molly

Dear Molly,

Marc Chagall is one of my favorite artists! I love his colors and floating objects, and his sense of movement. I can see where he has influenced your drawing. The sketch shows the throne with the crown showing above it, the jester on the side, the crowd, the chandelier, the other jester (in the upper right corner) and the ring. Chagall usually seems to have one or two central figures in the foreground that are central to composition. Your jester and the king's throne are central in yours. Will your jester "float?" If he will, you might think of tilting it a bit toward the center. You asked if more of the king's body should show in the chair. Make several photocopies of your sketch and try it. You may find that that would be a good idea. You might think about cutting out the different elements and placing them in different places and angles on a blank sheet. That would be a good way to test colors too. To make the crown look more realistic, I would try to find a picture of a crown and see what it looks like to give you ideas.

Since the jester and the throne are large and in the front, they might have more and brighter color while the ring and the crowd might be smaller, less distinct and softer in color.

In looking at Chagall pictures, I saw how his style changed over the years. If you look at his work from 1912-1920 you see more cubist forms; his later work (he lived to be nearly 100!) is quite different but you can always tell that it is a Chagall. A good website for seeing this is: http://www.artchive.com/artchive/ftptoc/chagall_ext.html
The pictures are listed by dates they were produced. You can click on the title to see the print. This could help you to see how you could make your jester more like Chagall.

You asked what to put in the ring--like maybe a tiger. I know Chagall has done some circus pictures and one that I found on the Internet showed a bareback rider on a horse, some acrobats, a person on a unicycle and a drummer. The crowd is just many faint circles for faces which was very effective. If you like a tiger in the center, maybe he has a ball and a trainer? This is all very exciting with lots going on. It will be fun to see the next step and what colors you choose. Pastel on black paper sounds very dramatic. I look forward to seeing more! Thank you for sharing it with us

Lowell, Mentor

It's very interesting Molly-and your questions are so involved -I cannot believe you are in elementary school. Good for you to be so into your artwork!

The composition of your drawing completely draws the viewer into the picture with the back of the throne, and the jester holding a face rattle, stopping in movement to look out, against the smaller seated figures in the background. I want to study the details to figure out what is going on? Where are they? What time period is this? If you change the position of all this, adding action in the ring (tigers are nice, some sitting and some jumping, maybe through even hoops of fire?) I agree, that the curve of your ringside may want to not be quite so pronounced in decreasing as it comes forward, as you suggested, keeping it nearly parallel.

Whatever you add between the king and the audience will need to be sized to fit into your perspective… bigger than the far away people, yet smaller than the king and jester. I don't necessarily think you have to move the chair so much to accommodate what's happening in the ring. It's up to you, but if you do, it will make THAT probably more important than the king is now. It would be easier to add activity in the ring obviously.

As to some ideas for your crown, I think the back view might show a crown in the shape of an oval like you have, adding some points all around. I am thinking here of a crown ala MacDonalds- yes? SO if you have someone sit in front of you with fake crown on, maybe a paper one, you could envision it easier. I like the idea of a crown which has jewels and is fancy, maybe like Miss America's tiara - big in the front and not so much in the back? With a more obvious crown, and possibly fancy patterns or textures on the throne, I think you can get away with not showing more of the king. Sometimes less is more!

Your collage proposal of different parts of your picture sounds intriguing. As to raising the chandelier in the final version, I don't mind it as is. If you observe Chagall's imagery, some things are out of scale, depending on the location in the picture, and possibly depending on their importance. The crowd ends nicely when the jester begins. And I like it between the king and the jester, thereby making them important being by the side of the picture and so BIG.

<<How can I put more of Marc Chagall style into my self portrait?>> Look at his pictures and perhaps select a painting of his you particularly like and use all the colors that he uses in yours might be one way. Selecting a pattern from one of his pictures and appropriating it for the throne might be interesting too.

Phew... don't get too worked up on too many details at some point too. Just go with it, and have fun and learn from it, and go on to the next one. There are always more pictures to create!

Candy, Mentor

Hello Molly,

You have a wonderful piece going.

When you look at pictures by Chagall, you will often see musical instruments, specifically the violin. The instrument represents a dance or music to life, something like a pied piper. If you play an instrument or are involved in an activity that utilizes a specific tool or machine like a sewing machine or a field hockey stick, consider including it.

The suggestion by Candy not to show the king is an interesting idea. You could make the crown larger; suggest robes cascading over the edge of the chair and show a bit of leg, maybe with distinctive shoes.

Finally concerning what to include in the center ring. Chagall uses animals in surreal ways, making them larger in scale than normal that interact with humans. Have you considered presenting a Vermont circus? Several Holsteins could be running around dressed like tigers with a coyote as a trainer, a deer on the trapeze or a bear as the master of ceremonies? Raccoons are natural pranksters, they could be clowns. Beavers?

I also like the placement of the chandelier. To gain more picture space, consider suggesting the chandelier with lines only, making it less bulbous so you can see the crowd through it.

Enjoy creating your circus. Ciao.

Kato, Mentor

Dear Molly,

Great start on your jester. The face is very expressive and interesting. You ask about putting in a clarinet. By all means go for it! It will show what is important to you. Chagall might have floated it in the air (with a few music notes nearby?). Having the king hold it would work too, and, as you said, show that a person is sitting on the throne. Might he be presenting the clarinet to you? You also asked about the crown. I have attached several crown pictures from a Mardi Gras catalog. They show different types of crowns and may give you some ideas. I can see why you might get confused with crown and throne. Maybe that's not all bad--they are both symbols of royalty and may well be intertwined. Let the viewer sort it out--or not.

This is an exciting project. I hope you continue to show us your progress. Good luck!

Lowell, Mentor

Hi Molly,

Thank you for posting your revised version. I am in awe of the jester's face. It's extremely expressive and human. I think Lowell gave you a great idea when she mentioned that Chagall would have the clarinet floating somewhere. Have you seen that picture of his kiss to his fiancee? Love has a floating thing to it, and music too! Trust your instincts in art, things will come together in ways that you did not expect them to. Good luck with your great work and keep posting!

Graciela, Mentor

Hi Molly,

You are really working hard on this and it shows. One can easily see that a king is sitting on the throne with an ornate crown. The jester is leaning into the picture and we see all the details of the hat and robe. The face is expressive and the eyes seem focused off to the right--as in a daydream? I see the jester perhaps dreaming the background (king, crowd, arena). You mentioned wanting to put something in the arena-- maybe a tiger--and make it dreamlike. How about a leaping (floating?) tiger playing a clarinet? Or tossing stars in its paws? Whatever you decide to add should probably be small so as not to overpower the jester and the throne/king. On the other hand, what you have done so far is very strong and the picture is well balanced. There is a lot going on already and might be considered pretty well completed. What do you think?
This is an exciting work and I certainly look forward to the next installment!

Lowell, Mentor

Hi Molly,

This picture is really exciting and coming along! A tiger in the center is still an exciting focus for the center... you could use a photograph of one to assist if you sketch it in, Chagall might have had a stunt rider on his back playing a violin.

In your picture the dark background is highlighting your pastel in an exciting and dramatic way. The face of the jester and the expression resemble a dream like state with the eyes in a shifted focus... I like the size of your jester, making her what the viewer will see first.

You seem to work in an ambitious way, and unafraid to tackle difficult subjects for which I applaud you. In this picture you have a lot to cover. Just get it all down then you can go over areas with more pastel if necessary to heighten or soften.

I am looking forward to your next post. Have fun with this!

Candy, Mentor

Hi Molly,

You are really working hard on this. Every revision shows more excitement.
The king is wonderfully colorful as he avidly watches the juggling girl on the back of the tiger. You ask about your right side--I would consider adding just a bit of the same brilliant stripes you have used above. What do you think? If you made the clarinet a little longer and outlined it in white (as you have done), you might not need to change the floor color. The black seems to tie it all together. What is your view? The light outlining you have used in your picture also gives it a unique character. This would seem to me pretty much finished, if you just added to the right of the jester and maybe made some tigery stripes on your tiger. You have done a terrific job on this picture, Molly. You should be very proud of your effort.

Lowell, Mentor

Hi Molly,

WOW! Your finished picture is remarkable--what a change from the beginning. The white light strikingly accents different parts of the picture where so much is going on, and helps tie everything together splendidly. I can clearly see the clarinet, the dancing juggler, the king's crown and even the stripes on the tiger! The jewels on the throne are a great touch. The expressions on the faces capture the mood of the picture so well.

I'm glad your mom wants to frame the picture. If it were mine, I'd frame it too! You should be very proud of all the time, effort and creativity you've put into this. I can tell you enjoyed doing it, and I look forward to seeing more of your work, Molly. Keep drawing!

Lowell, Mentor

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