Iconography and Traditional Jewish Sources of Marc Chagall's Work: The Jerusalem Windows

The aim of this thesis is to analyse sources and symbolism of Marc Chagall's stained-glass windows in the synagogue of Hadaśa Medical Centre of The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The first chapter deals with history of the stained-glass windows, their creation, exhibitions in Paris and New York where they were firstly introduced to public and factors of their installation in Jerusalem. The second chapter examines the subject matter of the windows: the twelve tribes of Israel, their status and characterization in books of the biblical canon. Last chapter aims to introduce the iconography of Jerusalem Windows. The subchapters identify displayed symbolism and cover it with Chagall's sources of rabbinic literature and folk art of Eastern Europe. The thesis contains visual attachment of pictures of the stained-glass windows and the scheme of their position in the synagogue. In the conclusion the thesis summarizes Chagall's main inspirational sources of the work