Marc Chagall The Fall Of Icarus

Art and its’ process have changed over the years. Yet, one process of painting remained throughout all of these years, which is a real story behind the whole painting. The Fall of Icarus is a painting that was painted to convey an actual story. The Fall of Icarus Twas a 6’11 7/8 by 6’6” painting that Marc Chagall created with oil on his canvas, during 1975. Chagall displayed this painting in the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, France. It is unknown where Chagall actually created The Fall of Icarus. Chagall’s painting focused on a Greek myth about Icarus and his father, Daedalus, being imprisoned by Minos, the ruler of the island of Crete. Icarus created two sets of wings from feathers and wax to escape the prison. Daedalus warned Icarus

Throughout this painting, Chagall paints with primary and secondary colors. Most of the colors used are around or on Icarus, the focal point, to draw the most attention to him. The primary colors that Chagall uses are blue, red, and yellow. Chagall uses blue on and around Icarus’s wings, people, and houses. The blue on Icarus’s wings, the people, and the houses are a shade because the color was mixed with black to make the color darker. Red was used more often than any other colors. The color red was painted in the streets and painted on the figures in the streets. The streets are intensified because the saturation of the color red is so high. With the red color filling the streets, I feel like Chagall is trying to convey the danger that the people are in since Icarus is right above them falling towards his doom. The color yellow is also surrounding Icarus. The color yellow surrounding Icarus is a tint because the color was mixed with white to make the yellow lighter than the rest of the primary colors on Icarus. Since the yellow is so light, Chagall creates more variety on Icarus. The secondary color that Chagall uses is green. The color green is used for the animals and grass. The green on the animals and grass is a tint because the color is lighter than the rest of the colors. But, one particular donkey in the street, the color green is a shade because the

Geometric shapes are very common in The Fall of Icarus. The houses are an example of geometric shapes because the houses are formed with continuous lines and curves. The houses are so life-like because Chagall painted the houses with curves to the foundation of the house that are seen with real houses. The windows and rooftops are also created by geometric shapes because squares, rectangles, and continuous lines are used to create the basic foundation of the houses. The people are also an example of geometric shapes. The people in the red streets, brown houses, and green grass were created by circles for the head and continuous lines for the legs and arms. The animals (goats and donkeys) are also an example of geometric shapes. The goats and donkeys were formed by the use of circles and constant lines. Organic shapes were also used in The Fall of Icarus. The upside down face was considered as an organic shape. The upside down face was considered as an organic shape because the face was not physically drawn, but the face was created by the other shapes surrounding it. Implied shapes also make an appearance in The Fall of Icarus. The sun, in the upper left-hand corner, is an example of an implied shape. Chagall did not draw the sun with actual lines, but it was created by the help of other shapes. Negative shapes are also within The Fall of Icarus. The upside down face that is formed