White Crucifixion - Chagall

"White Crucifixion" (1938) by Marc Chagall is a direct response to the growing anti-Semitism and the violent events of the terrible night of November 9, 1938, and the pogroms in Europe. Painted shortly after the "Night of Broken Glass" (in German, "Kristallnacht") of November 1938, this painting reflects the suffering of the Jewish people through the image of the crucified Christ, who, in this work, becomes a symbol of Jewish martyrdom. Unlike traditional representations of the crucifixion, Chagall uses distinctly Jewish elements: Christ wears a tallit (prayer shawl) instead of the typical Christian cloth, highlighting the Jewish identity of the Redeemer, his suffering, and that of his people.

The composition of the painting is divided into chaotic scenes of persecution and destruction, evoking the pogroms that struck the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. Around him, flames devour synagogues, and people flee, showing the desperation of a people under horrific attack. The use of white in the central scene of the crucifixion highlights the figure of Christ amidst the chaos, suggesting purity and innocence in the face of the brutality of anti-Semitism and with the ray of light that covers him, the salvific mission of a single man destined to reconcile all.

Chagall, influenced by surrealism and symbolism, blends the real and the spiritual in this painting, where earthly suffering connects with the divine. Through "The White Crucifixion," the painter not only denounces the violence against Jews but also issues a call to the world about the urgency of stopping this tragedy. The work was a prophetic vision of the horrors that were approaching with World War II.