THE BRIDAL CHAIR is a biography on Ida Chagall, daughter
of the famous artist Marc Chagall and Bella, his wife and
muse. Ida had lived a sheltered life, was home schooled
by her parents, who were terribly overprotective of their
beloved daughter right up until she committed a gaffe in
their eyes. Ida had the gall of falling in love with a
young man who was not part of the artistic elite the
Chagalls belonged to. Ida became pregnant and when she
told her father, he turned to stone. Although Bella and
Marc concluded an abortion was the way to deal with the
untimely event, Ida was 18 and Michel, her fiancé was but
20 and a student, Marc still insisted they get married or
Marc would disown Ida. Michel and Ida were not prepared
to get married right away, but since Michel's parents
also agreed they should marry, the young couple complied
with their parents' wishes. Marc Chagall's wedding gift
to Ida was a painting replicating exactly the Chagall
salon where Ida's wedding would take place, right down to
the bridal chair, a tradition for a Jewish wedding.
However Marc's contempt manifested itself in the fact
that the bride was literally not in the painting: Ida was
forever scorned with her father's refusal to allow her to
be her own person.
THE BRIDAL CHAIR is a biography of the famous artist's
daughter, however augmented with dialogue invented by Ms.
Goldreich, as the author so wisely points out. THE BRIDAL
CHAIR rests solidly on documented facts, the fictional
parts only added to impart colour and lushness to what
might have been otherwise a dry recounting of facts. And
I agree that it was an astute choice on Ms. Goldreich's
part, because THE BRIDAL CHAIR is a lyrical voyage in the
life of the daughter of a typical vain and egocentric
artistic genius. Ida was artistically gifted but spent
most of her life managing her father's finances and
business dealings. The Chagalls were Jewish, although
Marc anticipated the fascist persecution, he considered
himself untouchable, being the great artist that he was,
and Ida was the one who had to do all the work.
Ida Chagall was a very courageous woman as she took upon
herself to shield her parents from persecution against
the Jews, before and during WWII. THE BRIDAL CHAIR is a
superbly written, touching, riveting, magnificent account
of a woman who risked her life, denied herself true
happiness for years and made too many sacrifices until
the day when she could finally acknowledge that the ghost
that weighed so heavy on her existence could finally be
put away.
An exquisite, haunting exploration of the complex mind of
artist Marc Chagall through the eyes of his daughter As a
child growing up in 1920s Paris, Ida Chagall copes with
her father Marc Chagall's brilliant artistic mind,
overbearing ego, and the tight leash he keeps on her. But
as Ida blossoms into a young woman, she begins to glimpse
freedom and opportunities for herself. When she falls in
love for the first time, her father paints "The Bridal
Chair" as her wedding present, a symbol of his anger that
pierces Ida to the heart. Against a backdrop of the Nazi
invasion of France, Ida fights for her own survival as an
independent young woman while nurturing the dark creative
genius of her parents.
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