Die Traumdeutung

When you look at Marc Chagall's painting you see fairytale-like, happy, sometimes childish images, painted usually in blue. According to Carl Jung, one of the most influential psychologists of all time, Art can restore, repair and heal the feelings of trauma, fear and anxiety. He suggested that art expression and images found in dreams could be helpful in recovering from trauma and emotional distress. From then on psychologists started to experiment on healing their patients through analyzing their dreams. It seems like Chagall was capturing his own dreams on a canvas, painting flying couples and animals above his hometown of Vitebsk. “I did not live with you, but I didn't have one single painting that didn't breathe with your spirit and reflection”, wrote Chagall referring to Vitebsk. I understand his paintings as constructions of his emotional distress. He always missed Vitebsk and his childhood was reflected in his art for more than 70 years. His colors, figures, subject matter do not even attempt to imitate nature, but dreams. When I see Chagall I immediately think of Mikhail Bulgakov, another figure I would like to introduce in this post. One of the greatest Russian 19th century writers, Bulgakov wrote a phenomenal book The Master and Margarita and if you ever read it you will know exactly what I mean. Bulgakov’s Margarita, flying over Moscow, looking for her beloved Master, his mysterious stranger, - Professor Woland with the name of a devil, characters transformed into animals, even biblicale characters (and we all know Chagall’s religious painting), long nights and always that moon. Carl Jung, Marc Chagall and Mikhail Bulgakov, all three born during the late 19th century, all three concerned about dreams, which brought them so much success. Remember your dreams and they can truly take you somewhere.

Marc Chagall

Carl Jung

Mikhail Bulgakov