The artwork titled “In rage which he felt to the idolatry of the chosen people of God, Moses broken the Tablets of the Law (Exodus, XXXII, 15-19)” was created by the artist Marc Chagall around 1956 in France. It is an etching on paper, with dimensions of 29.6 x 23.5 cm. This piece belongs to the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement and is part of the series “Etchings for the Bible,” which was worked on from 1930 to 1939 and later from 1952 to 1956. The genre of this artwork is religious painting.
The artwork depicts a highly expressive scene drawn from the biblical narrative, where Moses, anguished by the idolatry of the Israelites, breaks the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The composition centers around the figure of Moses, whose form is marked by dark outlines and occupies the left side of the artwork, his posture conveying an intense emotional release. The tablets are discernible at the bottom of the piece, with inscriptions representing the Hebrew text of the commandments, and their impending fracture is suggested by their precariously balanced placement. Chagall’s use of deep contrasts and textured etching techniques emphasize the dramatic tension of the moment, while a stark, almost barren landscape extends into the background, underscoring the solemnity of the event. The work resonates with the themes of faith and transgression, capturing the gravity of the biblical account through the artist’s distinctive stylistic approach.
