Pliouchkine's Room (La Chambre de Pliouchkine), plate XLI (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes

Pliouchkine's Room (La Chambre de Pliouchkine), plate XLI (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes, is a significant print created by Marc Chagall in 1923. Executed using the complex intaglio techniques of etching and drypoint, this work serves as one of the definitive illustrations for Nikolai Gogol’s classic Russian novel, Dead Souls. Chagall was commissioned to illustrate the volume, a project initiated in the early 1920s that ultimately spanned the period 1923-48, reflecting a deeply analytical engagement with Gogol's satirical portrayal of provincial Russian life and moral corruption.

Chagall employs the sharp, expressive lines characteristic of drypoint to depict the atmosphere of squalor and desolation surrounding the miserly landowner Pliouchkine. Although the literary source is profoundly Russian, the production of these prints was rooted in the French artistic culture of the interwar period, following the artist’s pivotal residency in Paris. The deliberate absence of color and the dense black and white tonality emphasize the emotional emptiness of the scene, allowing the viewer to focus entirely on the psychological state of the character and the physical decay of his surroundings. This plate, part of the supplementary suite, captures Pliouchkine’s room as an unnerving jumble of distorted forms and shadows, perfectly visualizing the novel’s themes of stagnation and avarice.

Classified as an Illustrated Book component, this work is a superb example of Chagall’s ability to translate complex literary narrative into graphic art. Chagall completed 96 plates for the final edition, demonstrating his technical fluency and command across various illustrative projects during the 1920s. This specific piece, Pliouchkine's Room, is held in the prestigious collection of the Museum of Modern Art, emphasizing its historical significance within the study of modern graphic prints.