Sloth II (La Paresse II) from The Seven Deadly Sins (Les Sept péchés capitaux)

Sloth II (La Paresse II) from The Seven Deadly Sins (Les Sept péchés capitaux) is a significant etching and drypoint created by Marc Chagall in 1925. This work is one of sixteen individual prints comprising a deluxe portfolio published in Paris the following year, 1926. Though born in Belarus, Chagall was deeply integrated into the artistic life of Paris, and this French-associated portfolio reflects his evocative graphic style prevalent during the mid-1920s. The entire series was commissioned as a powerful artistic commentary on universal human failings, rendered through Chagall's highly personalized, symbolic lens.

The technique of etching and drypoint allowed Chagall to achieve deeply textured lines and rich, velvety blacks, characteristic of the intaglio process. This careful manipulation of the copper plate resulted in a dramatic contrast essential for illustrating the weighty subject matter. Executed during a highly prolific period for the artist, who was simultaneously working on major illustrations for literary masterpieces, the series Les Sept péchés capitaux demonstrates Chagall’s profound capacity for rendering moral and mythological narratives exclusively in black and white. Unlike his highly coloristic oil paintings, this set of prints relies entirely on draftsmanship and dramatic tonal shifts to convey the static, heavy nature associated with sloth.

The individual composition, featuring the specific title Sloth II (La Paresse II), offers a distinctly modern, expressionistic interpretation of the ancient vice. The completed portfolio serves as a prime example of Chagall’s mastery of graphic media and his contribution to 1920s French printmaking. The work is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), recognizing its importance both within Chagall's extensive output of prints and the wider history of Modernist graphic art published during this specific period.