Artwork
Flight Into Egypt
Flight Into Egypt is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Henry Ossawa Tanner. It dates from 1923 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This depiction serves as a visual interpretation of the scriptural account, emphasizing the themes of refuge and divine guidance inherent to the story.
The painting depicts the biblical narrative of the Flight into Egypt, centering on the Holy Family as they journey to escape persecution. As a work of religious art created in 1923, the piece visualizes the escape of Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus into Egypt. The subject matter is explicitly identified as the Flight into Egypt, representing the divine protection afforded to the family during their exile.
The composition focuses on the main subject of the Holy Family's migration, grounding the work in traditional Christian iconography regarding the infancy of Jesus. This depiction serves as a visual interpretation of the scriptural account, emphasizing the themes of refuge and divine guidance inherent to the story.
Technique & Style
Created in 1923, Henry Ossawa Tanner's Flight Into Egypt is an oil painting executed on canvas. The work measures approximately 73.7 by 66 centimeters. As a religious genre piece, it depicts the Holy Family during their biblical journey.
The application of oil paint on a woven fabric support represents Tanner's established medium for his mature religious compositions housed in major collections like the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
Henry Ossawa Tanner’s Flight Into Egypt (1923) has been held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since its acquisition. The painting is accessioned under inventory control within the museum’s American Wing collections. While the work remains a core holding of the Met, it has also been featured in select exhibitions, including major retrospectives of Tanner’s oeuvre that highlight his contributions to religious genre painting in early twentieth-century American art.
Overview
Henry Ossawa Tanner's Flight Into Egypt (1923) depicts the biblical journey of the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt, rendered in the artist's mature, atmospheric style. The composition centers on Mary riding a donkey while holding the infant Jesus, accompanied by Joseph walking beside them through a dimly lit, rustic landscape. Tanner employs a limited palette dominated by deep blues and earth tones, punctuated by a warm, directional light source from the right that illuminates the figures and the rough stone architecture of the background.
This specific illumination creates a sense of divine presence and mystery, a hallmark of Tanner's religious works. Created late in his career, the painting reflects his lifelong exploration of spiritual themes through a realist lens, blending American modernist sensibilities with his unique approach to light and shadow. The work exemplifies Tanner's ability to infuse biblical narratives with a quiet, contemplative dignity, moving away from literal illustration toward an evocative, emotional experience.
It stands as a significant example of his contribution to American religious art and his role as a pioneering African American artist in the early 20th century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Henry Ossawa Tanner was an American artist who spent much of his career in France.
