Marc Chagall was the eldest of nine children of a Jewish family. He was born July 7, 1887 in Vitebsk, Russia. Thanks to the determination of his mother, Chagall has the chance to attend public school, which is normally forbidden to Jews. His singing and violin lessons helped him to make contact with the Russian bourgeoisie which had a more open view on the world. He then discovered a class of society different from his. His studies in the capital of St. Petersburg allowed him to address themes that we find in his works, such as village scenes where we see the everyday lives of the poor. In the fall of 1909, Chagall left Russia to discover Paris. At that time, the Russian ballet is all the rage in France and therefore all that is of Russian origin is becoming very popular. No sooner has he arrived in Paris that he wants to return to Russia. He is not prepared for life in the big city. He immerses himself in galleries and museums where he discovers several artists such as; Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso and Braque. In 1915, Chagall returned to Russia and married Bella Rosenfeld, the daughter of a Jewish jeweler. Nine months later, his wife gave birth to their daughter, Ida. The couple was very happy. In 1922, the family moved to Berlin. Three years later, Chagall shows the Fables of Fontaine to Vollard, the famous critic and art dealer. In 1942, Bella died of a viral infection. Chagall remarried in 1952 with Valentina (Vava) Brodsky. He died March 28, 1985 at the age of 98 years.