The Trough II (L'Auge II)

The Trough II (L'Auge II) is a significant lithograph created by Marc Chagall in 1924, with its formal publication following in 1925. This highly regarded work is an excellent example of the artist’s output during his mature French period, utilizing the printmaking process to explore deeply personal themes related to memory and identity.

As a fine art print, the work demonstrates Chagall’s mastery of lithography, a technique that allowed him to capture complex textures and delicate shifts in tonality. Chagall, a key figure in the burgeoning Parisian art scene, often employed this medium to disseminate his poetic visions and integrate imagery drawn from Russian folklore and Jewish mysticism with contemporary aesthetic trends. The composition of The Trough II belongs to a series of works that center on animal life and domestic scenes, transforming mundane reality into a setting for fantastical, often weightless, figures.

Created while the artist was firmly established in France, the visual language of this print bridges the gap between the material world and the subjective nature of memory. Though the composition utilizes semi-abstract forms and ambiguous color fields, the implied subject—a trough used for feeding or watering—grounds the work in agrarian reality, allowing Chagall to superimpose dreamlike figures onto a familiar, grounded object. This approach reflects the development of his distinctive visual language shortly after his permanent return to Paris in 1923.

Dating from 1924, published 1925, this compelling piece serves as a foundational example of how Chagall adapted print technology to his Expressionist-Surrealist hybrid style. The print's enduring historical importance is affirmed by its inclusion in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where it remains a key reference point for the study of French modern prints.