Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin'

Lithograph on paper

102.87 x 74.93 cm (40.5 x 29.5 in)

Edition of 495

Hand-signed by the artist

Written as an anthem for a society undergoing rapid cultural and political transformation, ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’ cemented Dylan’s early reputation as the ‘voice of a generation’, a title that he sought to shed later in his career. Turning from the crowd to address the figures of authority that the song calls upon; parents, politicians, and the ‘writers and critics / Who prophesize with your pen’, Dylan’s illustration shows one such writer at his roll-top desk, seemingly caught mid-sentence. His visible age and his belongings appear to be a symbol of the old, rigid frameworks which stand in contrast to the rapidly shifting cultural phenomena of the 1960s. Caught on the edge of this change, his gaze meets ours directly, implying that perhaps he heeds Dylan’s words.

First album release: The Times They Are A-Changin’, 1964