Moka_Lady |
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In White Crucifixion, Chagall stressed the Jewish identity of Christ and also related Jesus’s crucifixion to Jewish themes in overt and subtle ways. Instead of a loincloth and crown of thorns, Jesus wears a striped Jewish ritual prayer shawl and a headcloth. Note the halo around his head.
The halo around Jesus’s head is echoed in the halo surrounding the menorah, one of the oldest symbols of Judaism. It remains unclear why Chagall represented menorahs with six branches. The four figures above Jesus’s head represent Biblical patriarchs and a matriarch in mourning. Chagall dressed all the figures in traditional Jewish robes and the men wear kippahs (head coverings).
Chagall’s painting depicts the devastation wrought by pogroms, or violent riots, against the Jewish people. To the left of Christ, a synagogue and Torah are in flames. Scattered beneath them are the torn remnants of a prayer book, an overturned chair, a menorah, and what appears to be a lamp.
Chagall originally painted an inverted swastika on the armband of the soldier throwing open the doors of the synagogue; in the early years after making the work the artist painted over the symbol not only as a safety precaution but also to make the image speak to the larger history of pogroms against the Jews.
The scene to Christ’s right shows another pogrom being visited upon an entire village. Below the violent scene a group of people attempt to escape by boat, but with only one oar, their attempt appears futile.
In the lower left corner of the painting another group of people flee. One figure carries a Torah scroll; another has a sign around his neck. Just as he altered the soldier’s armband on the other side of the canvas, Chagall painted over the sign at a later point. Although it is currently blank, research reveals that this sign previously said "Ich bin Jude" (or "I am a Jew").
Edited by Milea - 4/7/2021, 12:06 |
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