Joseph and the Pharaoh

A piece I entered into the Young Judaica Scholarship contest at Ringling. This was my artists statement:

My piece is a part of the story of King Joseph. He is interpreting the Pharaoh’s dreams after being locked in confinement. The Pharaoh is describing the dream in which seven unhealthy ears of corn devour seven healthy ears of corn. Joseph tells the Pharaoh that based off the dream, he will have seven years of famine and seven years of abundance.

 Dreams where an important part of shaping the stories of the decedents of Abraham, and dreams where common in the book of Genesis. Jacob received an important message from the angels that would be guiding him to Charan. Joseph also dreamt that someday he would rule over his brothers.

I chose to illustrate this part of Genesis because I  have always been fascinated by dreams. I keep a journal and write down my dreams from time to time. I try to decipher them, but they are usually so complicated that I end up getting confused. If only I had a Joseph to interpret them. One day I will try to decipher them more thoroughly.

This illustration was designed after ancient Egyptian illustrations. I used oil rub to get an atmospheric effect. At the bottom, the Pharaoh is telling Joseph of his nightmare. Joseph is looking up into the Pharaoh’s dream, imagining he can see it as the Pharaoh is describing it. The corn nearest to Joseph and the Pharaoh is healthy and golden. The corn stalks at the top of the image are rotting, and have become jaws ripping apart preparing to devour the healthy corn. The light is coming in the center of the image for contrast, and to add and eerie effect to the nightmare. I chose earth tones for the plants, and picked out certain colors such as gold, turquoise, and a rusty red to imitate ancient Egyptian art.