Here at Chase Tower Plaza stands Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons Mosaic. This artwork gift was from Frederick H. Prince to Chicago. It was dedicated on September 27, 1974.
Look closely at the mosaic’s construction. Thousands of inlaid chips create over 250 colors. Chagall brought stones from all over the world. He got marbles from Belgium and Italy. Granites came from Norway and Brittany. Chicago brick stones are also part of it. Green stones came from the mines of Solomon. Exquisite stained glass came from Paris and Venice.
Chagall crafted about 128 panels in his studio. These panels were based on a model of the rectangular box here in Chicago. They traveled by sea and air to Chicago. Craftsmen Michel Tharin and Alain Devy spent months installing the panels. Chagall oversaw the mosaic’s finalization.
The Four Seasons Mosaic shows six scenes of Chicago. Chagall signed his artwork six times. Can you spot his signature?
The mosaic depicts Chicago in every season. Winter shows a mother cradling her child. Spring features a young lady dancing joyously. Summer shows Chicagoans having a picnic. Autumn shows a harvest.
Other motifs include a Ferris wheel from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. There is also a cow in a stockyard. Chagall used floating figures to add a surreal feel. Birds, flowers, sun, fish, lovers, and the sky appear too. These reference village life and city skylines.
Chagall said the four seasons represent human life. They show physical and spiritual stages. He hoped Chicagoans would feel his emotion. The Four Seasons Mosaic is a depiction of Chicago. It gives locals a sense of belonging. It also displays aspects of Chicago to visitors.
The city installed a protective glass canopy in 1994. This followed a two-year restoration. The mosaic is inspected four times a day for graffiti. It is cleaned annually. Major restoration occurs every five years.
Ken Bartman manages Chase Tower. He says vandalism happens periodically. However, it is not very common. A surveillance system helps.
Granite benches surround the mosaic. Visitors can rest and admire the art. It makes a colorful picnic site.
Chagall was born in 1887. He drew inspiration from Cubism and Fauvism. He also included Jewish elements in his art. Chagall also created ceramics and stained glass.
The Four Seasons is one of his last and most beautiful mosaics. He also created mosaics for the Knesset in Jerusalem. Other mosaics are in his museum in Nice and the University of Nice.