The Holy Cabman, Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
The Holy Cabman
de
Back to top

Marc Chagall

The Holy Cabman, 1911


Dimensions
147.5 cm x 119.5 cm x
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
LG 128
Acquisition
On permanent loan from a private collection since 2014
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 11

Texts

About the Work

The world is turned on its head in the works of Marc Chagall. In 'The Holy Cabman', the row of houses along the horizon turns 180 degrees as the line continues to the right. Is the light coating in the bottom half of the painting really the ground, and the brown area really the sky? Filling the foreground of the picture is the figure of a man whose torso is pointing upwards. His body dives through the image space in an elegant twisting motion. If we were to turn the painting round we might reach the conclusion that he is sitting on a chair. In the dreamlike compositions by the artist from Belarus, we repeatedly find references to his own biography and Russian folk art.

Work Data

Work Content

Research and Discussion

Similar works

  • All

More to discover

Contact

Do you have any suggestions, questions or information about this work?

Last update

03.03.2026