Marc Chagall: Daphnis and Chloe

Inspired by a journey through Greece, Marc Chagall, one of the twentieth-century’s most popular painters, created a wonderful series of lithographs that brought to life this ancient Greek love story. The story of Daphnis and Chloe, a pastoral romance attributed to the Greek poet Longus, follows the adventures of two foundling children raised by adopted parents who are humble shepherds in the idyllic setting of the Isle of Lesbos. As Daphnis and Chloe grow to be young adults tending their adopted parents’ sheep and goats on the sun-drenched Grecian hillsides and pastures, they discover that their friendship is turning to love but in their innocence they do not know how to proceed. Together they experience many trials and tribulations before finally realizing their true fate. Daphnis and Chloe has served through the ages as an inspiration for nearly every love story that has followed including Romeo and Juliet.