Collision on the Road (Collusion en chemin), plate XXVII (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes

Collision on the Road (Collusion en chemin), plate XXVII (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes by Marc Chagall, is a powerful example of the artist’s graphic work created in 1923. This intricate print, rendered using the demanding techniques of etching and drypoint, was produced as part of an Illustrated Book project illustrating Nikolai Gogol’s satirical novel, Dead Souls. The main suite of illustrations was commissioned by the influential art dealer Ambroise Vollard, placing the work squarely within the highly active French printing culture of the interwar period (1923-48).

Chagall’s masterful application of the medium is evident in the dynamic contrast and textural variation achieved. The etching provides sharp, definitive lines for structure, while the drypoint’s unique ability to raise a burr lends a velvety, atmospheric darkness and density to the forms. Although an illustration for a literary classic, the scene bears the unmistakable visual hallmarks of Chagall’s expressionist style. The composition captures a chaotic energy, invoking the collision of the spiritual and the mundane that often characterizes the artist’s output. Figures and symbols are compressed within the frame, reflecting the narrative’s themes of travel, confusion, and bureaucratic misadventure.

As part of the supplementary suite, this specific plate offers added insight into the breadth of the artist's engagement with the source material. The creation of such extensive illustrated editions cemented Chagall’s status among the foremost visual interpreters of narrative in the 20th century. For scholars and enthusiasts studying this important phase of the artist’s career, these early Dead Souls prints remain vital resources. This celebrated example of French graphic arts is permanently housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.