The Concert by Marc Chagall

The Concert, 1957, Marc Chagall

Puglisi's Sound &The Concert

Puglisi argues that Caravaggio's use of open mouths and physical touch imply sound in his paintings. The Concert's use of instruments that surround the lovers on the boat imply sound in the viewer's mind in the same way. Chagall excells in this by making every "auditory" figure be a component of a concert, so that when the painting is taken in whole, an entire concert is formed. The violinist on the right imply's the sound of a lead violin, on the bottom left we see precussion instruments, and on the top left we have a fiery choir. As a result, all of these components form one concert when taken as a whole and music plays in the viewers' ears.

Zilczer and Chagall's Use of Color

Zilczer discusses how artists like Kandinsky use vibrant and contrasting colors to manifest sound, Chagall demonstrates this in his own work through his use of color. The fiery red on the top left contrasts the mellow blue on the bottom left. Furthermore, we can see how color emerges from the instruments in a way that imitates how sound waves travel through air. For example, on the bottom left we can see how dark green ripples off the drum as it is being beaten. On the top left, the yellow outlines the red which imitates a flame and shows the power a choir can have as a collective. Finally, the moon on the top right shows the power of an absence of color. The white frames the painting and makes everything else swirl around it. Zilczer's color theory is masterfully demonstrated by Chagall in The Concert

Subject in Chagall

The Concert is filled to the brim with iconography that determines the audio of the piece. For example, the Eiffel Tower places us in the City of Love which makes the scenes of bands in the background appear as a smooth jazz band that serenades the lovers on the boat. If there were a church in the background instead of the Eiffel Tower we would likely hear a gospel choir and not French serenades when we look at the musicians. Had there been a pyramid in the background, the viewer would first be confused, and then project their concept of "egyptian music" on the implied audio from the musicians. The iconography of the piece shapes the way we experience audio in The Concert, which ultimately shows the connection between subject and the Puglisi and Zilczer readings.

Style and Chagall

The stylisation of the piece dramatically improves how the viewer hears this piece. Nothing is sharp. Everything is smooth and flowing throughout the canvas. As a result, when we hear the audio it is just as smooth as the painting itself. Had the piece been jagged, our audio would be more kiki than it would be booba, and the piece would suffer because of it. Rather, our understanding of the piece would shift. Style is fundamental to Marc Chagall's manifestation of audio on a stagnant canvas.