The Musician (Der Musiker), supplementary print from My Life (Mein Leben), created by Marc Chagall in 1922, is an intimate graphic work executed using the drypoint technique. This piece was commissioned as one of a small series of prints intended to accompany the German edition of Chagall's autobiography, originally written in Russian a decade earlier. The artist had returned to Berlin in 1922 specifically to oversee the publication of the illustrated memoir, marking a critical period of transition as he prepared to re-establish his career in the wider French and European artistic circles.
As a drypoint, the work features rich, distinctive lines resulting from the metal burr raised on the copper plate during the direct incision process. The burr retains ink, giving the lines a characteristic softness and velvety texture often desired in fine prints. This illustration maintains the distinctive iconography typical of Chagall’s early work, balancing fantastical elements with semi-autobiographical subjects drawn from his memory of life in Vitebsk. The composition depicts a lone figure playing a stringed instrument, reflecting the important role music and memory played in the artist’s oeuvre.
The figure is rendered with characteristic modernist distortion, emphasizing emotional expression over strict realism, a style that foreshadowed Surrealist interests. Although published in Germany, this 1922 work signals Chagall’s crucial return to the West and his reintegration into the French art sphere after the turbulence of the Russian Revolution. Prints from this period are highly valued for illustrating his shift from purely Russian subject matter toward the complex narratives of his mature career. The contrast between the delicate drypoint line and the expressive posture of the subject creates a visual tension compellingly characteristic of the graphic output from this time. This important print, The Musician, is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
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