The artwork “A Seraph Purifying the Lips of Isaiah with a Hot Coal (Isaiah VI, 1-7)” by Marc Chagall, created circa 1956 in France, utilizes the medium of etching on paper. This piece belongs to the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement and measures 32.2 by 25.2 cm. It is part of the “Etchings for the Bible” series, which spans from 1930-1939 and 1952-1956. This religious painting vividly illustrates a biblical scene from the book of Isaiah.
In the artwork, a seraph, an angelic being, descends upon the prophet Isaiah. The angel holds a hot coal, preparing to purify Isaiah’s lips as mentioned in the sixth chapter of the Book of Isaiah. The etching emphasizes the divine encounter with dramatic contrasts and animated figures, characterized by Chagall’s distinctive primitive and expressive style. The depiction is spiritually charged, capturing the intense moment of divine cleansing and prophetic calling.
