Illustrating fables

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is most well-known for his paintings featuring surrealist scenes and colors that evoke in the viewer delight, a longing for love and sometimes slight sadness. In his 100 black-and-white etchings to illustrate The Fables of La Fontaine, Chagall presented a more serious state of mind, different from his popular dreamy images. His vivid explanations of the literary masterpiece by French poet Jean de La Fontaine, who lived in the 17th century, engage people in an investigation of human nature, and its good and cruel sides. A whole collection of Chagall's engravings of The Fables of La Fontaine is on show at Gallery Ici Labas in Beijing's 798 art zone. Chagall began to work with engraving in Berlin in 1922. He went on to make prints and illustrated for books to build a link between fine arts and literature through his work. He barely understood French and had his wife translate The Fables into Russian. When he worked on the collection, he was inspired by the French landscape to show his passion for nature. He also borrowed materials from the cultural traditions of other countries. Ambroise Vollard, the influential French art dealer of the time, said there were similarities in the aesthetics of La Fontaine and Chagall, "both ingenuous and subtle, realistic and whimsical". The show runs through to June 4.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 798 East Street, 798 Art Zone, Beijing.130-0117-0598.