Lovers on the Bench
1922
Medium
etching in black on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 12.8 x 17.7 cm (5 1/16 x 6 15/16 in.) sheet: 36 x 44.6 cm (14 3/16 x 17 9/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gerhard E. Pinkus
Accession Number
1996.138.11
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Marc Chagall’s *Lovers on the Bench* (1922) captures the artist’s signature blend of tenderness and dreamlike poetry in a delicate etching. Created shortly after Chagall returned to Paris following the Russian Revolution, the print reflects his deep fascination with themes of love, memory, and human connection. Chagall, who often drew from his Belarusian Jewish roots and personal experiences, frequently portrayed couples suspended in moments of quiet intimacy, using floating figures and whimsical settings to suggest the transcendent power of emotion. As an etching printed in black on laid paper, the work highlights Chagall’s masterful use of fine, expressive lines to evoke atmosphere and feeling within a modest scale. The medium allowed him to explore subtle tonal contrasts and intricate details, lending the scene a sense of immediacy and closeness. Gifted to the National Gallery of Art by Mr. and Mrs. Gerhard E. Pinkus, this print exemplifies Chagall’s ability to transform everyday romance into something timeless and universal.
About the Artist
Marc Chagall · 1887–1985
Marc Chagall, born Moishe Shagal on July 7, 1887, in Liozna near Vitebsk in the Russian Empire (now Belarus), grew up as the eldest of nine children in a devout Jewish family confined to the Pale of Settlement. His father worked as a herring merchant's porter, while his mother sold groceries from home, instilling in young Chagall a deep connection to Hasidic Judaism and Eastern European folklore a...