The artwork titled “Man with a Cat and Woman with a Child” was created in 1914 by Marc Chagall, in Liozna near Vitebsk, Belarus. Rendered in ink on paper, the piece is an exemplar of the Expressionism art movement and measures 22.3 by 17.2 centimeters. Classified as a genre painting, this work is housed at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia.
The artwork depicts a scene with two figures—a man and a woman—each accompanied by an animal and a child, respectively. On the left, a woman cradles a small child, with an expression that suggests introspection or concern. She is swathed in traditional garments, enhancing the cultural context of the setting. To the right, a man bends forward, his attention focused on a cat he holds at chest level. His pose and the angle of his head convey a tender moment between man and animal. Completing the scene, a smaller figure, possibly an elderly man, walks alongside the central figures, adding to the narrative complexity of the piece. The use of ink creates bold contrasts and stark lines, characteristic of Chagall’s expressive style, evoking a sense of depth and emotion.
