Chagallicisms

At the ripe age of 77, Marc Chagall last week became a doctor -- of fine arts. At his honorary hooding at the University of Notre Dame, the Russian-born artist who has painted cows jumping over the moon and orbited lovers, flowers and folklore, Chagall had a few words for U.S. academics.

"Art must go rather toward the soul than through theories toward the brain," he said. "Art and life itself seem to me like a boat upon the waters. To whom is it given, this gift of guiding this boat and how to sail it? I see the life of everyday peoples and things as through a tear. I try to offer them, as I can, a plastic reflection." Mixing his metaphors as brightly as he does his oils, Chagall concluded that "the role of the artist is tragic today because, while the world's horizons have been extended, the human heart is as small as ever."

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