Saluto alla bandiera

Hand retouched lithography.

Baj's art always exudes a strong irony, a grotesque effect, with depictions of subjects with an amused look. Beneath this amusing and playful appearance his works reveal a strong political commitment and critique of society. We find this commitment especially in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period when Baj painted subjects such as army generals and military parades.

These are men who are supposed to embody strength and power, but are instead depicted awkwardly, ironically, and almost childishly. In fact, we find all these peculiarities in this lithograph, where the figure of the general stands out sharply from the bluish-gray background, where his uniform is embellished with simply drawn medals, with his eyes wide open and his mouth completely open, almost hinting at a sort of smile. His right hand is raised in salute.

Instead, the man, who is supposed to represent power, is almost " mocked" through a funny and awkward depiction. The lithograph is hand-signed in the lower right corner. The total print run of the work is 125 copies. This specifically is a "bene si stampi," i.e., an artist's proof, as evidenced by the notes written by Baj himself at the bottom: "this black spot has nothing to do with it" and "print black first." This work testifies to the partnership between artist and printer in creating the subject.