“If I create from the heart, nearly everything works: if from the head, almost nothing.” ~ Marc Chagall
Today I decided to analyze a famous quote from painter, Marc Chagall. Marc Chagall was a Russian-French artist of Belarusian Jewish origin known for his unique style of cubism and expressionism. Marc Chagall focused primarily on painting and stained glass styles of art, such as his 1977 piece below, “America Windows” Vitrage Window for Art Institute of Chicago“.
“America Windows” 1977 by Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall’s quote, “If I create from the heart, nearly everything works: if from the head, almost nothing.” is pretty self explanatory, but expresses the idea to embrace your original creativity and to trust your heart and feelings to guide you to creating a great masterpiece. As an artist, I can definitely relate to this and I’m sure some you can as well. At times, when painting a subject from direct observation, it doesn’t feel as natural or as personal. It instead portrays a representational piece of art, something that is predictable, too familiar. But when you create from the heart, it opens up so much more opportunity to relate, to tell a story, to be creative, to be experimental. It makes the viewer think more deeply about the piece, to be able to appreciate it.
Although all subject matters portray greatness, there is still something that is admiral about expressionism and the genius of the unconventional. When you think too hard when doing something that you love, you often lose that raw emotion and ability to explore the unimaginable. Thinking logically, rather than letting go and trusting your heart, limits the satisfaction and overall concept of art. Art is created to inspire, to tell a story, make a statement, to appreciate and be appreciated, to share an experience, and to release. Logic sometimes only tends to portray the representation of something we all know. Take a look at the two pictures below for instance. How does each make you feel? What it is saying to you?
“The Triumph of Music” 1966 by Marc Chagall
“The Blue Circus” 1950-52 by Marc Chagall
This painting was based off of the acrobats and circus performers that inspired Chagall in his youth.
