Martin Lawrence Galleries

About the Work

Salvador Dalí is commonly regarded as one of the greatest Surrealist artists, whose personality was often displayed on his magnificent works of art. He practiced sculpting, advertising, printmaking, fashion, filmmaking, and more Dalí’s mischievousness and peculiar personality contributed to his status of an international celebrity, but he is better-known for his most distinct attribute: his mastery of art. Dalí’s significance and talent ranks him among the most versatile and prolific artists of the 20th century.

“Judah” is part of a religion-based series of prints that depict the “Twelves Tribes of Israel”. Each etching represents one of the tribes. Levi, Zebulon, Joseph, and more are included in this series. The Twelve Tribes of Israel, in the Bible, are the Hebrew tribes which were named after sons or grandsons of Jacob. His name was later changed to Israel, and the Hebrew people became known as Israelites. The Tribe of Judah consisted of descendants of Judah, who was the fourth son of Jacob. The lion is the symbol of the Tribe of Judah and is often represented in religious art.

“Judah” is an example of how Dalí’s work was influenced by religious themes. Depicted here is a man with long hair peeking through his hat, a staff, and is wearing a bright red cape. This man is presumably Judah, who is overlooking the pair of gigantic lions and two small human figures. The figures are in a wide open field with the sun blazing down upon them. A large white flag emerges in the distance, with a cityscape in the horizon further behind it. The buildings in the city seem blurry and undefined as they are too far away to be seen in any details. There is a giant wall separating the flag from the city, most likely used to keep intruders out. Birds can be seen flying high among the clouds. “Judah” is a 14.75 x 19.5- inch hand-signed etching with color stencil created in 1973.