Interpretations of Chagall's Flowers

Petals, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

It was very fun being limited to Chagall's palette this week. I believe limitations like that make for a better creative experience. I often do this with my students or my son to force them to think only of what they're making and not worry so much about choice. Sometimes choices lead to confusion.

I've definitely simplified the elements of Chagall's Flowers. Some radiating forms, loose lines, and organic shapes. You'll notice I really only focused on the flower part of the painting and completely ignored the bird and the couple. I just didn't find those parts as interesting to explore. The expressionist forms are much more exciting to me.

Swirling, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Waves, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Blue Form, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

copyright Gio Leung, 2013

Another wonderful interpretation from Gio. He enjoys color very much, as you can see here. With kids his age it's hard to keep them from using every color in the paint box, particularly at the same time. I gave him two colors at a time which helped prevent him from making "mud". The masking helps create a little bit of form. I helped him with the masking, but everything else is his alone.

Dressing in Chagall's Flowers

Chagall's Flowers by ninamleung featuring oliver peoples sunglasses

Floral print dress / Band of Outsiders jean jacket / Madewell / Kate Spade / Gem jewelry / Oliver Peoples sunglasses

Can't you just imagine wearing this while exploring the Russian countryside? I was inspired by the post on the Latvian countryside as well as the film The Last Station about Leo Tolstoy.

Marc Chagall's Flowers in the Natural World

Aren't these simple blue flowers beautiful? They were photographed in my front yard. I love the simplicity and vibrant color. The two below are also from the garden and more closely remind me of Chagall's flowers with their long petals, delicate curls, and fine lines.

Objects inspired by Marc Chagall's Flowers

These are a few objects that are inspired by Chagall's Flowers. There's my journal from our trip to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland on the right. The atomizer is from Anthropologie. The blue flower amulet is from my lovely sister-in-law which she got in Egypt (I think it's made of egyptian paste). Above that is a sweet drawing my sister Teresa did for a birthday book she made for me. Next is a book cover from an old Reader's Digest anthology. All of this is on top of a blouse I bought in China.

Travelling in Chagall's Flowers

If Marc Chagall's Flowers were a place it would be.........

the Latvian countryside!

These photos are from the countryside outside Riga, Latvia. The house is Rundale Palace, a baroque palace built in the 1700s. I like to imagine any of the Dukes of Courland and family picnicking on the grounds.

Marc Chagall's Flowers

Flower Still Life Ipad Redo, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

Marc Chagall's work is so expressive. In his Flower Still Life, that I recreated above, his Fauvist background really comes through. He understood the importance of expressing emotion through color and lightly abstracted forms. His paintings have a dream-like quality which comes from the recognizable objects and forms, but he only uses them as compositional objects. They could tell a story, but that was not necessarily his intention. His paintings are very expressive.

I love this particular work for the arrangement of color and quick, seemingly wild brushstrokes, and the rhythm of the leaves and flowers.