Peasant. Costume design for Scene III of the ballet Aleko
Marc Chagall
French, born Belarus. 1887–1985
1942
A gouache and pencil costume sketch by Marc Chagall for the peasant in Scene III of his ballet Aleko, made to translate his folkloric, painterly vision into a wearable stage costume.
You notice at once the spare, childlike outline and the bold splash of red that forms an apron-like dress, the figure’s rounded, floating posture and tiny mismatched shoes giving it a whimsical, mid-step presence on the pale paper.
This working drawing reveals how Chagall adapted modernist color, memory, and folk motifs for the stage, exemplifying the influential collaborations between avant-garde artists and the performing arts in the twentieth century.
Medium
Gouache on colored paper
Dimensions
10 7/8 x 8 3/8" (27.6 x 21.3 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest (by exchange)
Accession
137.1945.22
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
