Dispatches from Home – Rest on the Flight into Egypt.

One of my favorite paintings is Rest on the Flight into Egypt, 1879, by Luc-Olivier Merson.

Fleeing persecution at the hands of Roman authorities, the Holy Family takes refuge in Egypt. Joseph dozes beside a dying campfire while his donkey grazes on sparse desert grass. At left sleep, Mary and infant Jesus crowned with a halo of light. They lie in the arms of a sphinx; its eyes turned to the heavens, where the first stars begin to appear.

A successful Academic artist, Merson never traveled to North Africa, but his use of archeological detail creates the illusion of an eyewitness account, breathing new life into a time-honored subject.

(Originally published December 1, 2023)