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Samson with the jawbone of an ass (1971)
The final two pictures in NMK’s Biblical Cycle deal with stories both taken from the life of the Godly strong man fighter Samson, as related in the Book of Judges.
The first painting, in fact, the last one of the series, depicts an incident from chapter 15 when Samson had just broken free of the ropes with which he had been bound by his enemies the Philistines and had seized the Jawbone (Lehi in Hebrew). He used it as a lethal weapon with which to smite a thousand men.
The subject matter of both this and the next painting gave the artist a chance to indulge in his love of drawing human anatomy, especially the body of the muscular hero Samson himself. Here, the almost naked Samson is swinging the Jawbone with all his might, surrounded by the assembled Philistines who are wearing full armour, with helmets, shields and spears. Some have already fallen and their shields are strewn in the foreground. The formation of the rock face, that provides the backdrop, seems to echo the movement of Samson's body. The palette is similar to Jacob and the Angel. Here too, the arid desert scene and the coarse yellow sand underfoot are relieved by some green cacti.