Experience Marc Chagall at Europa-Park

 

In a 1952 newspaper interview, Chagall said: "Greece is still Europe, yet the Orient as well. The hills, the ruins, the fresh air you breathe contain fragrances that add depth to the experience of a magnificent history. There, all is light. A singular light, of an indescribable clarity and softness."

At Europa-Park, visitors during the winter season will plunge into a Greece so graphically depicted by Chagall and will experience and re-live his visual world digitally. Exhibition visitors in the Mercedes-Benz Hall will find the romance of "Daphnis and Chloe" illustrated by the great artist and now presented in a projected three-dimensional world of colour – of which they too can become part. They can then wander with Ulysses through a lithographic hall of mirrors where they will be confronted with the full pictorial content of this classical, spectacular and eternal saga. Chagall's love of Greece is reflected in the 69 exhibited original lithographs illustrating the Greek romance "Daphnis and Chloe", Homer's epic "Odyssey" and the cycle "In the land of the gods". All these art works are especially loaned by the artist´s family estate.

This unique and innovative adoption of cutting edge technology provides a ready made tool to make art more accessible and enriching for all ages. This is as Marc Chagall would have wished it. His granddaughter Meret Meyer explains: "My grandfather's concern was always to use his art to reach the hearts of people – and as many people as possible. A theme park, too, endeavours to address and thrill as many people as it can." Here, art and theme park combine to form a unity. Just like Europa-Park's Greek themed area, with its white walls, typical blue roofs and temple, this exhibition also conveys a Greek view of life and unfolds the perfumes, sounds and freshness of an eastern Mediterranean breeze.

In the years following the 1950s, ancient Greek poetry enriched Chagall's pictorial universe. This is thanks, above all, to the influence of his friend, publisher Efstratios Eleftheriades, aka Tériade, who inspired the Russian artist to dip into classical Greek literature. This prompted him to illustrate the romance "Daphnis and Chloe" by the poet Longos of Lesbos. From 1957 onwards, Chagall worked for four years to convert his Greek images into colour lithographs.

In preparation for this monumental task, the painter travelled twice with his wife Valentina to Athens, Rhodes, Delphi and other places, to imbibe the spirit of these legendary settings. In his pictures, the aim was not so much to reconstruct the historical locations but, rather, to capture Greece's eternal and emotive essence. Chagall always attempted to humanize truths, creating a world for humans as well as for Gods. Human actions become those of Gods.

A visit to the exhibition "The Marc Chagall Experience – His Love of Greece" in the Mercedes-Benz Hall is included in the park admission. With a special evening ticket, both the exhibition and the wintery Europa-Park can be visited any day from 4 to 7 pm for the price of €15.

Further details on www.europapark.de.