Pliouchkine Scavenging Under the Bridge (Pliouchkine ramassant sous le pont), plate XLII (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes

Pliouchkine Scavenging Under the Bridge (Pliouchkine ramassant sous le pont), plate XLII (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes is a powerful etching created by Marc Chagall in 1923. This piece originates from the artist’s seminal commission to illustrate Nikolai Gogol’s classic Russian novel, Dead Souls (Les Âmes mortes). Despite working primarily in Paris during this era, Chagall revisited themes of Russian folklore and literature, producing images that captured the moral decay and tragic struggles of Gogol's characters. This supplementary plate specifically depicts the character Pliouchkine, a grotesque miser, engaged in the desperate act of sifting through refuse.

The medium of etching allowed Chagall to employ a harsh, expressionistic linear style, perfectly suited to the somber narrative. Unlike his better-known, colorful canvases filled with lyrical fantasy, this graphic work demonstrates his versatility in handling dark, complex subject matter. The visual narrative is stark and immediate; the hunched figure is dwarfed and isolated beneath the heavy, oppressive structure of a bridge, emphasizing his degradation and social abandonment. The raw, energetic lines characterize the artist's output during the period spanning 1923-48, during which he focused intensely on book illustration and the creation of fine art prints.

This series of illustrations, commissioned by the influential dealer Ambroise Vollard, represents a pivotal moment in Chagall’s development as a graphic artist while residing in France. Although the initial copper plates were completed in 1925, Vollard’s death and subsequent disruptions delayed the official publication of the Illustrated Book until 1948. This project cemented Chagall’s reputation among modernists engaged in narrative illustration. The resulting images, including this evocative supplementary plate, offer a unique, dark perspective contrasting sharply with the lyrical optimism often associated with the artist’s oeuvre. This significant example of modern French graphic art is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.