Chagalls Deckengemälde, Kontroverse in der Pariser Oper (Marc Chagall russ.-franz. Maler 1887-1985)

"Chagall's Ceiling Painting: Controversy at the Paris Opera" French original title: Chagall à l'Opera, le plafond de la discorde. ARTE France documentary, Opéra national de Paris, ANAPROD 2014 by Laurence Thiriat. Recorded: ARTE, August 2, 2015. On September 23, 1964, the Paris Opera celebrated a new work. It was neither a ballet nor an opera, but rather the new, 220-square-meter ceiling painting in the auditorium, created by the Russian-born painter Marc Chagall. He was already world-famous when the French Ministry of Culture commissioned him to design the monumental painting—it became a colorful hymn to music, Chagall's second passion after the visual arts. Contemporary art in the historic building of the Paris Opéra Garnier—that was all it took to send the art world into a frenzy and reignite the age-old conflict between proponents of classical art and advocates of modernism. The ceiling painting became a kind of national affair. Commissioned by the then Minister of Culture, André Malraux, the work could only be created under the strictest secrecy: it was protected from prying eyes and devastating press reviews, which didn't even shy away from antisemitic remarks. That the enormous modern ceiling painting in the Opéra Garnier, built in the second half of the 19th century, could be completed at all is thanks to Malraux's determination, the artistic commitment of the then 77-year-old Chagall, and the deep friendship that bound the two men. Few know the background to the creation of this masterpiece. The Paris Opera archives contain around 400 documents relating to its history. In this documentary, historians, art historians, and Chagall experts explore the fascinating connections that make this impressive painting so unique. Marc Chagall (born June 24/July 6, 1887, in Peskovatik, now a district of Vitebsk, Russian Empire, now Belarus; died March 28, 1985, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France) was a Russian-French Jewish painter. His birth name was Moishe Chazkelevich Shagal. His family background, his hometown of Vitebsk, and motifs from the Bible and the circus are central themes in his paintings. He also used the same recurring symbols in his mosaics and in the stained-glass windows and theater sets he designed. Chagall is considered one of the most important painters of the 20th century. He is often associated with Expressionism and described as a "painter-poet". (Wikipedia)