Enrico Baj, Salute to the Flag, hand-retouched lithograph, 50x70 cm, 1979

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 criticism of society. We see this commitment especially in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period in which 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 in a clumsy, ironic and almost childlike manner. All these peculiarities can be found in this lithograph, where the figure of the general stands out clearly from the bluish-grey background, where his uniform is embellished with simply drawn medals, his eyes wide open and his mouth completely open, almost as if to hint at a sort of smile. His right hand is raised in salute.

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