La Ruche et Montparnasse, 1979

On his return from America, Marc Chagall met with Fernand Mourlot and began an artistic partnership with the workshop’s Master Printer, Charles Sorlier, that would last for 35 years. Chagall, Mourlot, and Sorlier grew very close in their collaborative artistic efforts and indeed Sorlier claimed to owe his much-lauded talent to Chagall, saying that a small fragment of the artist’s genius passed to him during their time working together. The universe of Chagall’s work is often noted as having a fairytale element. This story about Sorlier aquiring a little of Chagall’s genius, as if by magic, fits right in.