«From my earliest youth, the Bible captivated me. It always seemed to me, and still seems to me, to be the greatest source of poetry of all time. Since then, I have sought that reflection in life and in art. The Bible is like a resonance of nature and represents the enigma that I have always wanted to convey»

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—Marc Chagall

 

Marc Chagall was Jewish and his childhood was deeply affected by the anti-Semitism of the Russian Empire. He witnessed the persecution and exile of his compatriots for their religious beliefs, and in the depths of his soul there was an immense sadness for the suffering of his people.

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In 1931 he made a tour of Egypt, Syria and Palestine. The pilgrimage to the Holy Land involved a visit to the places that were the stage for the history of the chosen people: Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; the eternal exile, the wandering Jew, discovered his roots, his land of origin. The experience was for the artist a return to the tradition of Judaism, as well as a profound reflection on his identity and a communion with nature.

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The journey had a strong emotional impact on Chagall's spirit. His creations on the Bible reflect his faith, his vitality, the intense Palestinian light that illuminates him, the spiritual strength he has received: "When I finally discovered the Bible, I saw that it was surrounded by clouds and shone like the starry sky above our land.