Marc Chagall: "The Bay of Angels" Original Lithograph, Mourlot 1960

This work is one of the best-known and popular of Chagall’s lithographs. It is tempting to associate the "Bay of Angels" (La Baie des Anges) with the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, since the artist had lived and worked in its proximity since the middle of the 20th century, and also died and was buried there. One indication could be the heart-colour red that dominates the work - it prompts thoughts of settling down at one’s favourite place, or being on fire due to one’s passions. This would also explain the intense, warm hue of red of the work.
 

Further indications are the woman in the fish dress floating at the right edge of the picture, opposite the glowing Mediterranean sun with green satellites whose colour corresponds with the headdress of the fish woman. The maritime landscape with the suggested blue sea at the tail end of the mermaid, palm trees in the foreground and the houses that are leaning against the mountain range in the distance, and also the strollers on the promenade in the lower part of the work also support this assumption. The fish woman is carrying a flower bouquet with a blue background. Are they maybe irises? In the middle ages, the depiction of these flowers represented the alliance of God with us humans, which would make sense given the artist’s religiousness. 

This is  N O T  a mass-produced reprint (photo or grano lithograph from a later "Limited edition") but the original lithograph from the a.m. book, exactly as referenced in Mourlots catalogue raisonné.