The Flying Sleigh

1945　Oil on canvas
105.3 cm x 72.9 cm

Marc CHAGALL

1887, Belarus - 1985, France

Marc Chagall was born to a Jewish family in Vitebsk (then in Imperial Russia, today in the Republic of Belarus), moved to France in 1910, and was active as one of the École de Paris painters. When World War II broke out, he was forced to flee from the Nazis, taking refuge in the United States. He learned that the Nazis had invaded his hometown, and lost his beloved wife Bella to illness a year before the war ended. Having lost his irreplaceable hometown and his wife, both of which often appeared in his paintings, Chagall was in deep sorrow and distanced himself from art for a while.
This work dates from 1945, at the end of the war, when he was emerging from the depths of his despair. The artist and two figures appearing to be his late wife and his daughter Ida ride on a sleigh flying high in the sky. The townscape spread underneath of them, covered by white snow, is reminiscent of his hometown.
With fantastical scenery that mixes dream and reality in typical Chagall fashion, this piece represents prayers for the souls of the dead of his hometown, including his wife, and for peace.