Marc Chagall was an artist who created in a variety of mediums, and is especially known for his modernist paintings with surreal qualities, capturing life in bold colors and often dreamlike states. Born in 1887, Chagall lived to be 97 years old.

When he was a young child, there was no art in the family home. He saw a fellow student drawing, and asked the student how he learned to draw. Upon hearing his answer, Chagall began copying images from books, and decided he wanted to be an artist.

After enrolling in art school in St. Petersburg, Chagall began painting, especially landscapes and self-portraits. He later attended another art school in Paris, after relocating there in 1910.

Chagall did not fancy being associated with any particular school of thought or artistic movement. Rather, he considered the art he created to be meaningful to himself.

However, when he met and fell in love with Bella Rosenfeld, he wanted to show her parents that he was a suitable husband for their daughter, and so he endeavored to become a successful artist.

Chagall went on to become a well-known and well-respected artist, exhibiting paintings around the world, being commissioned for many artistic and literary projects.

For your Poetics prompt today, if you haven’t already guessed, I’d like to write ekphrastic poetry about Chagall’s art. Choose one of the paintings in this post, and compose a poem about it. For an added challenge, use descriptors in your poem to describe the details in the artwork and tell us about what they are, by telling us what they are not.

If you’re new, here is how to join us:

• Write a poem in response to the prompt.
• Enter your name and a link directly to the post containing your poem into Mr. Linky. Remember to check the box to accept use/privacy policy.
• Read other poets’ work as they enter their links into Mr. Linky. Check back as more will be added.
• Please link back to dVerse from your post.
• Have a wonderful time!

Mr. Linky will remain open until 3pm EST on Thursday, May 21, 2026.