Lust I (La Luxure I) from The Seven Deadly Sins (Les Sept péchés capitaux)

Lust I (La Luxure I) from The Seven Deadly Sins (Les Sept péchés capitaux) is a pivotal print created by Marc Chagall in 1925. This etching and drypoint, one of sixteen individual works, belongs to a complete portfolio commissioned to examine the core Christian vices through a Modernist lens. The original portfolio was completed in 1925 and subsequently published in 1926.

As an intaglio print, the work utilizes the meticulous techniques of etching and drypoint. The drypoint needle allowed Chagall to scratch directly into the plate surface, creating burrs that hold extra ink and result in the characteristically soft, velvety lines seen in this piece. This technical mastery provides a rich textural density, lending gravity to the severe moral subject matter while contrasting with the lightness often associated with Chagall’s color-saturated paintings.

Chagall employs his distinctive visual language, characterized by fragmented forms, floating figures, and dreamlike imagery, to interpret the abstract vice of luxure. This powerful graphical work moves beyond simple narrative illustration into a deeper psychological exploration of transgression. Created during a highly fertile period in Chagall’s career, the decision to engage with the traditional moral themes of The Seven Deadly Sins reflects the complexities of allegory being explored in French art during the mid-1920s.

This significant French work is classified within the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) collection. It remains an important example of Chagall’s graphic output, demonstrating how the artist applied the technical discipline of printmaking to his deeply personal, expressionistic interpretations of human experience.