The artwork titled “Being informed about Absalom’s death, which has been killed by Joab and has been found hanging on the tree in the forest, David gives vent to his grief (Samuel II, XIX, 1-4)” was created by Marc Chagall around 1956 in France. This piece is an etching on paper and belongs to the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement. It measures 32.5 by 22.4 cm and is part of the “Etchings for the Bible” series, which spans from 1930 to 1939 and from 1952 to 1956. The artwork belongs to the religious painting genre.
The artwork depicts a deeply sorrowful scene as described in the biblical passage from Samuel II, XIX, 1-4. In the etching, David is shown lamenting with profound grief upon learning of the death of his son Absalom, who has been killed by Joab and found hanging on a tree in the forest. David is portrayed sitting in a forlorn posture, head bowed and covering his face, embodying the anguish and despair of a parent mourning the loss of their child. Towering city walls and a faint sky in the background add a somber and introspective atmosphere, which is accentuated by Chagall’s characteristic style.
