During my first trip to New York I turned a corner in the Guggenheim to see the dream-like Paris par la fenêtre, a painting by Marc Chagall. It was the first painting to ever fascinate me.
After years of getting to know myself since then and bi-monthly googling this 1913 rainbow depiction of Paris, I believe I’m drawn to it for its exploration of duality, and the bold, wise claim that within admittance/acceptance of polarities stirs wholeness. Here is the duality I see in the painting:
Celebration and novelty versus melancholy: time’s one-way nature. Chaos within order, spinning somehow equaling balance. Side note: I find it interesting how we equate getting dizzy to losing our balance, yet, a top, like planet Earth, spins to maintain its balance. Humanity in animals: consciousness and primitivity; therefore, life and death. Leaps of faith and ponderous moments indoors. The contrast of who we used to be to who we’ve become. Masculine and feminine. Nature and city. Night and day, shadow and light. Memory and present reality. Rock and air – this is questionable, but the triangles in the sky resemble mountains to me. Gated versus ajar. Saturation and colorlessness. Lastly, this painting gives spirit to everything, so, spirit and body/dust.
