The Arrival of Spring (Daphnis & Chloé, M.314), 1961

"The Arrival of Spring (M.314)" from Marc Chagall's famed "Daphnis & Chloe" suite is a lithograph on paper, signed 'Marc Chagall' lower right and annotated lower left. From the edition of 60 (there were also several artist proofs, EC proofs and a B.A.T.). The image size is 16.5 x 25.25" and the artwork is framed in a custom, closed-corner, gold leaf frame. The artwork ships framed and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

"It was the beginning of spring and all the flowers were in bloom, in the woods, in the meadows, and on the mountains. Already there were gambollings of newborn lambs. The lambs were gambolling on the mountains, the bees were buzzing in the meadows, and the birds were filling the thickets with enchanting song."

More than sixty years ago, Marc Chagall embarked on what would become the greatest achievement in the history of color lithography – the creation of artworks to pair with a translation of Longus’s pastoral romance "Daphnis & Chloé". The resulting suite of forty-two color lithographs celebrates the key elements of the story in radiant color, sometimes bold, sometimes ethereal, but always stunning in its lyrical beauty. In the novel’s prologue, Longus credits paintings famous on the Island of Lesbos as his inspiration for writing the classic tale down for posterity. Nearly two thousand years later, Chagall takes us back in time to that original visual homage to the tale, giving us his interpretation of something long lost to us. Chagall was drawn to Longus’s tale because it represented a raison d’être, an elucidation of the primary elements of human existence. This essential quality of the narrative, combined with Chagall’s level of artistic skill resulted in something both wondrous and truly unique in the history of 20th century art and printmaking.

As artistic endeavor and achievement "Daphnis and Chloé" stands as one of Chagall’s greatest feats, and definitively his greatest in printmaking. For collectors, these prints hold everything that is dear – the expressive and extravagant color, the dedication to the human condition and community, and perhaps most particular to Chagall, his love of “love.” The fact that he conceived and achieved this work at the beginning of his second great love affair is no coincidence. At that moment, he saw the world in brilliant color again and he had the mastery of many years to bring it to life in way that we’d never seen before. Chagall’s "Daphnis and Chloé" is truly a bit of magic and a singular work of art that still stands true more than sixty years later.