Marc Chagall’s La Saison d’Été (The Summer Season), from Daphnis et Chloé, 1961 is one of the stunning lithographs within the illustrated Daphne and Chloe series that Fernand Mourlot considered to be one of "the most important graphic works that Marc Chagall has created thus far." Chagall dedicated three years to this project and undertook a series of lithographs that perhaps defined his career, making these pieces "a work of notable importance which, unquestionably, can be placed at the top of the list of illustrated works of our time" (Mourlot 131). Daphnis and Chloe, the two romantic heroes of Greek writer, Longus, are two childhood friends who undergo the trials and tribulations of growing up and, consequently, falling in love. Evoking the rich Mediterranean landscapes from which Chagall personally drew inspiration, this work is a masterpiece any Chagall enthusiast would admire.

Marc Chagall’s La Saison d’Été (The Summer Season), from Daphnis et Chloé, 1961 depicts Daphnis and Chloe frolicking by a river as they delight in the transition from spring to summer. The figure of Daphnis is half submerged in cerulean blue water, while Chloe stoops by the lower right corner at the edge of the shoreline. The golden orb in the upper right corner evokes the brilliance of the summer sun and stands out against the powder blue sky. Two figures intertwined with each other are faintly discernable in the upper left region of the sky, alluding to both the romantic encounters Daphnis and Chloe already share as well as the physical desires they have yet to realize. The yellow pillar between the figures of Daphnis and Chloe implies the reflection of sunlight on the water but could also symbolize the burning desire of the two protagonists as they pine for each other’s bodies. Marc Chagall’s La Saison d’Été (The Summer Season), from Daphnis et Chloé, 1961 captures the innocent foreplay of youthful affections among the beauty of a rural Mediterranean landscape.

Created in 1961, Marc Chagall’s La Saison d’Été (The Summer Season), from Daphnis et Chloé, 1961 is a color lithograph on Arches paper. This work is hand-signed by Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887 - Saint-Paul, 1985) in the lower right margin. Numbered from edition of 60 in the lower left margin.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Marc Chagall’s La Saison d’Été (The Summer Season), from Daphnis et Chloé, 1961 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).

1. Gauss, Ulrike. Marc Chagall: The Lithographs. The Sorlier collection. Edited by Ulrike Gauss et. al. New York: Distributed Art Publishers., Inc., 1999. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 337.
2. Mourlot, Fernand. The Lithographs of Chagall, vol. II 1957-1962. Monté Carlo, 1960. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 337.
3. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

About the Framing:

Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Marc Chagall’s La Saison d’Été (The Summer Season), from Daphnis et Chloé, 1961 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.