Marc Chagall
Rencontre de Ruth et de Booz
(Meeting of Ruth and Boaz)
from "Drawings for the Bible"
colour lithograph on paper
publisher: Verve, Paris
year: 1960
size: 355 x 264 mm
On the back: another black and white original Lithograph by Marc Chagall, mandatory in this edition.
Very Good Condition: complete image (no crop, no trim), wonderful colours, a hardly perceivable bump in the corner (see image)
with Gallery Certificate
Catalogue Raisonné:
Meret Meyer and Patrick Cramer, "Marc Chagall, Les Livres Illustrés", ref. # 42
Charles Sorlier and Fernand Mourlot, Chagall Lithographe, vol. II, ref. # 247
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CHAGALL AND THE BIBLE
Marc Chagall’s Drawings for the Bible, published in 1960 as a special double issue of the legendary art magazine Verve, represents one of the most profound encounters between modern art and sacred text. While Chagall had been obsessed with biblical themes since his 1931 trip to Palestine, this specific suite allowed him to explore the narrative with a newfound technical mastery of colour lithography.
Working closely with the master printer Fernand Mourlot, Chagall created 24 vibrant color lithographs for this series. These works do not merely illustrate the Old Testament; they reimagine it through a dreamlike, Jewish-Eastern European lens. Chagall uses radiant blues, fiery reds, and golden yellows to transcend literal interpretation. The figures often float, defying gravity to suggest a spiritual reality that exists alongside the physical one.
For Chagall, the Bible was the "greatest source of poetry of all time." Through these lithographs, he sought to make the ancient prophets and patriarchs feel human and immediate. Today, this collection is celebrated not just as a religious milestone, but as a pinnacle of 20th-century printmaking, showcasing how Chagall could turn stone and ink into pure emotion.
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ABOUT THIS VERY ARTWORK
In Marc Chagall’s Meeting of Ruth and Boaz, the artist captures the initial, life-changing encounter between the Moabite widow and the wealthy landowner. This color lithograph from the 1960 Bible series serves as a prelude to their eventual union, highlighting themes of kindness, providence, and the beginning of a sacred lineage that would lead to King David.
The composition is set against a somber, textured brown background, which makes the central figures and the symbolic elements radiate with spiritual significance. To the right, Ruth is depicted with a graceful, slender form, her white garment adorned with swirling red patterns that suggest both her vitality and her future role in history. She gazes upward at Boaz, who stands tall in earthy, brown robes, his hand raised in a gesture of blessing or protection. Between them, a massive, glowing red sun hangs low in the sky, symbolising the divine favour and warmth that characterises their story. The grainy, speckled application of ink adds a sense of ancient dust and timelessness, transforming a simple meeting in a barley field into a monumental moment of destiny.
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