The year 1948, when he drew ‘Les amoureux sur le divan’, was one of great artistic and personal change for Marc Chagall. His wife, Bella, had died four years prior in 1944, leaving a great absence in his life. During this period his work is often considered to have a dream-like quality, reflecting the artist’s sense of profound loss and nostalgia. However, his style shifted in 1948, he year he met Valentina ‘Vava’ Brodsky, who would become his second wife in 1952.

‘Les amoureux sur le divan’ is a joyful drawing of romance and hope. A couple lie entwined on the divan, a bottle of wine and basket of fruit on the table next to them. Behind them the wind blows through an open window. At this time, with his new love Vava, Chagall’s life was renewed with a new sense of joy as reflected in this drawing. The impressive bouquet of flowers, and overflowing fruit bowl represent abundance and a new beginning.

In ‘Les amoureux sur le divan’ , Chagall blends soft shading with more defined outlines, and uses delicate lines to build the intricacy of the composition. Here, the use of pencil allows the artist to explore subtle gradations of tone and texture across the shadows and fabric of the divan, to create an image with a whimsical dream-like quality that reflects his unique visual language.