Le violoniste

Marc Chagall's The Fiddler, completed just after moving to Paris from St. Petersburg, is a good representation of the artist's work from this period. The fiddler as a subject is often found in Chagall's work. The huge figure of the musician in this painting stands with one foot on the roof of a building, the other on a small hilltop which flattens out the picture plane. By including the homes in the background as well as the musician, this painting recalls memories of Russia. Chagall's paintings realized during this time in Paris often portrayed scenes from Russia with inspiration from his new surroundings. Cubist influences can be seen in the series of flat planes and geometric shapes as well as in the non traditional perspective.