Art: Marc Chagall: Drawings for the Bible

Those who have contemplated a Marc Chagall painting will not be surprised to know that one of the 20th century’s most revered artists was deeply inspired by the Bible. From his birth in 1887 Russia to his establishment in France (he died in 1985), Chagall created mythic and dreamlike images in many media, including stained glass. In 1930, Parisian art dealer and art book publisher Ambroise Vollard commissioned Chagall for a series of drawings for the Bible. The series, completed in 1956, materialized out of his visits to Palestine, where the Jewish artist felt at home among the many Yiddish and Russian speakers living there. Today, you don’t have to live in Israel or Europe to witness his passion. The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art continues its exhibit Marc Chagall: Drawings for the Bible in Tulsa through Jan. 31. www.jewishmuseum.net