Dispatches from Home – The Flight into Egypt Changed the World.
Greetings!
This is one of my favorite paintings: 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 the 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.”
In the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season, please remember who is the “Real Reason for the Season.”
Big hug, y’all!
(Originally posted December 1, 2023)