From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-- The paintings of Marc Chagall are intriguing in their surrealistic juxtaposition of rural and city life, prosaic objects like cows and cottages, and symbolic elements like musical instruments and angels. They are mysterious and romantic, crossing barriers of time and culture to appeal to modern sensibilities. The fine reproductions in this volume show Chagall's mastery of brilliant color effects and his rich blend of humor, emotion, and memory in his picturing of Russian, Parisian, and Biblical scenes. Greenfeld writes of Chagall's life and work with sympathy for the artist's turbulent life as a Russian Jew who escaped the narrow village life of his boyhood on the wings of his prodigious talent, only to be caught in the tides of war and politics as the First World War and the Russian Revolution dictated his moves to and from Paris, Moscow, and his home city of Vitebsk. Chagall's deep love for his wife, Bella, is central to Greenfeld's story, as it was to Chagall's life, and this element of romance, as well as the dreamlike quality of his paintings of Bella, will appeal to readers. The great Biblical paintings gathered near the end of Chagall's long life are not shown, but overall, the pictures chosen for reproduction give the full range of his accomplishments and, together with Greenfeld's expert writing, offer a high quality introduction to one of the modern world's great artists. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Young Marc Chagall defied family tradition by leaving his Russian village to pursue his art in Paris and the world beyond. Exploring the magic of Chagall's paintings, the author shows how Jewish life and folklore influenced his work, filling it with the spirituality that made Chagall one of the 20th century's most beloved artists.

Card catalog description
Examines the life and work of the painter whose Russian Jewish background did not prevent him from making an international search for his own ways of expression.