Friday, August 21, 2009

Coffee Table Book Party: "Marc Chagall"

Marc Chagall. Henry Abrams, 2003.

I got more and better birthday presents this year than is entirely seemly for someone ostensibly out of childhood. Mrs.5000 being a dame of excellent and discriminating taste, the haul included more than one contribution to the ongoing Coffee Table Book Party.


I always kind of liked Chagall, but I got more interested when I was poaching his many paintings on Biblical themes over at the Bible blog.



Chagall is not a tough "modern artist" to like -- his paintings have trippy but recognizable narrative elements that are often sweet or even sentimental, his colors are bright and cheery, and his shapes and compositions are rounded, soft, and inviting.


I mean, I defy you to dislike this sweet kittycat:


It's not always 100% clear what's going on, of course. This one, which seems to feature a goat attacking a harliquin, is called Mauve Nude. Cool.


It is, to be sure, a lovely and lavish book, sure to be a coffee table hit for some time to come.

If you are jealous -- and I know you are -- Amazon has insanely cheap copies. Join the party!

6 comments:

margaret said...

I shall always dislike sweet kittycats. Unless they're furless.

Elaine said...

Wait-- you look up the prices on your birthday gifts? (Ha ha, I am sure you do not...)

Um, and Margaret is scaring me.

Jenners said...

Wait ... was it your birthday recently? Well Happy B-Day!

And I like Chagall but I don't LOVE that cat one. There... I said it.

Elaine said...

Oh, yes, Jenners. Remember, M5000 claimed to be born in 1981.
I seem to recall some skepticism on the part of certain Blog-buddies.

Chance said...

Marc Chagall is one of the very few artists who worked post 1950 that I really admire.

And, apropos of nothing, I went back and reread a lot of my old entries in my blog, and found about 30 hilarious, witty, intelligent comments from you that I never saw. Moral: you apparently comment on my posts only after I've long since moved on. But anyway, you're the commenter of the century in my book. Blog. Whatever.

Michael5000 said...

@Mags: Freak.

@Elaine: No, I look up prices on the Coffee Table Book Party books. ...wait, now I'm confused.

@Jenners: Touche'.

@Chance: Well, it takes a while to come up with comment gold. Also, I'm always a couple hundred items behind in my Reader. Otherwise, as you indicate, I am indeed awesome.