The artwork titled “Moses calls the waters down upon the Egyptian army” was created by Marc Chagall in 1966 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France. This piece is a lithograph on paper and measures 216.5 x 146 cm. It belongs to the Naïve Art (Primitivism) movement and is part of the “The Story of the Exodus” series created in 1966. The genre of this artwork is religious painting.
The composition of the artwork portrays a dramatic biblical scene where Moses is depicted commanding the waters to engulf the Egyptian army. The central figure of Moses, with a raised arm, directs the surge of water while a multitude of chaotic figures and divine entities populate the scene. The artwork is characterized by Chagall’s distinctive use of bold colors and dreamlike, surreal quality, effectively conveying the tumultuous and divine nature of the event. The background showcases a vivid interplay of dark and light hues, symbolizing the might of the divine intervention. The composition, filled with expressive figures and dynamic elements, vividly narrates the miraculous event from the biblical Exodus, blending spirituality with Chagall’s characteristic artistic style.
