Marc Chagall called "love" the primary color of his paintings. The central source of the love in his life was his wife, Bella. They met when Bella was a teenager in their home town of Vitebsk, Belarus. In 1915, Chagall finally married Bella, despite the opposition of her parents, who wanted a better match for their daughter.The Birthday was painted by Chagall in 1915 just a few weeks before he and Bella married. The painting is a wonderful expression of the amazing, flowing and powerful love these two shared. Chagall is pictured flowing and dream-like, floating above Bella.