Chagall, Marc, The Fables, 1952

After taking an interest in Gogol’s Dead Souls at the suggestion of art dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard, Chagall decided to tackle a classic of French literature, Jean de la Fontaine’s Fables. The author wrote two hundred and forty-three fables, the most famous of which are Le Corbeau et le Renard (The Raven and the Fox ) and La Cigale et la Fourmi (The Cicada and the Ant). Marc Chagall drew on his personal references to Russian folklore and blended them with French culture to create the book’s engraving illustrations.