At the Village Gate (A la barrière de la ville), plate XLVII (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes

At the Village Gate (A la barrière de la ville), plate XLVII (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes by Marc Chagall, executed in 1923, is a compelling illustration that captures the emotional weight and satirical depth of Nikolai Gogol’s novel, Dead Souls. This print exemplifies the artist’s mastery of graphic media, utilizing a combination of etching and drypoint. The drypoint technique, characterized by burr left on the plate, provides rich, velvety blacks and soft shading, while the precise etched lines define the structure and figures, resulting in a complex visual texture.

Chagall undertook this monumental project of illustrating Les Âmes mortes while based in Paris, having been commissioned by the renowned French art dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard. Although the initial plates were completed early in the 1920s, the full edition was not formally published until the period spanning 1923-48, establishing this work as a significant contribution to 20th-century illustrated books. The work is classified specifically as an illustrated book print, underscoring the deep commitment of the artist to textual interpretation.

This specific plate, numbered XLVII and belonging to a supplementary suite of prints, depicts a scene resonant with the atmosphere of rural Russia described in Gogol’s text. Chagall often imbued his scenes with fantastical or expressionistic elements derived from his own childhood memories, transforming ordinary settings into psychological landscapes. In this work, figures appear weightless and the composition is dynamic, demonstrating the artist’s unique approach that transcends literal narrative illustration. This edition of prints, which remains a cornerstone of Chagall's graphic output, is preserved in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.