Marc Chagall Born Vitebsk (formerly Russian Empire, now Belarus), 1887; died Saint-Paul, France, 1985
White Crucifixion
1938
Marc Chagall's 'White Crucifixion' (1938) is a devastating response to the Kristallnacht pogroms against European Jews. At the centre a white-shrouded Christ hangs on the cross while scenes of a burning synagogue, a pogrom, refugees, and Yiddish prayer encircle him. Chagall identifies the crucified Christ as the suffering Jewish people; Pope Francis called it his favourite painting. Oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago.
Exhibition Venue
Image source: Art Institute of Chicago