Bella's Secret

Ceramic and smalti mosaic (900mm x 500mm) for an exhibition called 'In the Spirit of Chagall' at the Opus Mosaic Gallery, Fore Street, Exeter running from 16th November - 27th December 2009
Looking at Chagall's work in more depth led me to question his portrayal of himself and Bella, his first wife. He paints himself with her, sometimes he is flying in the air, often she is flying. It is obvious he is besotted with her, and indeed he speaks of his love for her in his writings. But I wondered how she felt , her face seems almost expressionless, and she often seems to be staring out of the picture. Chagall writes about her '... But I always had the feeling that she was holding something back. I thought that Bella was concealing buried treasure at the bottom of her heart.
My mosaic 'Bella's Secret' tells all – about her metamorphosis into a bird that she went through every night when Chagall was asleep!

£1800
On display at the Bath Society of Artists 105th Exhibition 2010 at Victoria Art Gallery, Bath, until 19 June

Kate Rattray Mosaics