Troyer

Troyer by Marc Chagall, created in 1922, is a significant example of the modern livre d'artiste (artist's book). Classified rigorously as an Illustrated Book, this French work demonstrates the early 20th-century commitment among avant-garde artists to merge literary text with deeply integrated visual design. The work is specifically cataloged based on its components: a cover featuring a detailed letterpress illustration on the front, complemented by internal letterpress text that incorporates distinct, deliberate typographic designs.

This piece from 1922 captures the artist's evolving style as he engaged with the publishing houses and literary circles of Paris. Chagall’s contribution includes five distinct letterpress illustrations, two of which were rendered on separate sheets of white paper, highlighting the contrast between the densely graphic imagery and the surrounding text. The reliance on letterpress, a robust relief printing technique, emphasizes the essential graphic qualities of Chagall’s unique style, translating his characteristic fantastical imagery into the formal constraints of black and white book illustrations.

While the work is fundamentally an illustrated volume, the individual illustrations function powerfully as fine prints, often studied independently from the text. The comprehensive design, mixing type-set pages with unique visual compositions, reflects the interdisciplinary approach common to modernist artists working in France during the post-WWI era. The preservation of the original cover and internal elements allows scholars to fully appreciate the careful design choices made by Chagall in this format. This rare edition of Troyer is currently held in the esteemed collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it serves as a critical document of early 20th-century printmaking and book illustration.