Abraham of Isaac (The Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac)

Abraham of Isaac (The Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac): Rembrandt

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Art Type: Oil Painting
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Rembrandt Oil Painting - Abraham of Isaac (The Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac)

Keywords: Abraham, Isaac, Angel, Stopping, Abraham, Sacrificing, Isaac

Work Overview: Abraham of Isaac (The Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac)
REMBRANDT Harmenszoon van Rijn
1635
Oil on canvas
193 x 132 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

This is the master's largest painting from the 1630s. Rembrandt arrested the moment when the angel pins Abraham's arm who wants to sacrifice his son to God. The surprised Abraham drops his knife.

The painting is based closely on a grisaille of 1612 by his master Pieter Lastman. The vertical composition, the setting, the types and placing of the figures are very close to each other.

A second version from 1636 - perhaps the work of a coworker - is in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of his faith (Genesis, 22: 1-13). Abraham set out to carry out the command, proving his belief, but God sent an angel to stay his hand just as he was about to sink the knife into his son's body. Rembrandt captures all the the dramatism of the culminating moment in this terrible intended sacrifice. Abraham's amazement as the angel stops him with hand raised is revealed in his expressive gesture and the strong expression of his face, which almost borders on madness. We see a moment of great emotional tension, expressed in dynamic forms and lines. The heightened dramatism, monumental form, turbulent movement, sharp contrasts of light and shade are typical of Rembrandt's works of the 1630s and reflect in this painting the features of the Baroque style.

Comparison of the two compositions leaves no doubt that they were done by different painters. The author of the Munich canvas followed the Hermitage original and "transposed " its images in a different and individual manner. The painterly style of this painting is noted for a broad, generalized and sketch-like manner, which is especially evident in the rendering of the raised hand and face of the angel, the details of which are hardly seen. In those places where the artist strictly follows the Hermitage details (the figures of Abraham and Isaac), their treatment is much simpler, the forms are rigid and the chiaroscuro is not richly nuanced.

Despite the apparent derivation from the Hermitage model, the second version has distinguishing features at the level of the composition itself. The most important of these is the portrayal of the angel, which appears not from the left, but from behind Abraham. This moving pose emphasizes the suddenness of the situation, but deprives the scene of "dialogue" between Abraham and the angel, which plays an important role in the original composition.

The version from the collection of the Alte Pinakothek does not have the portrayal of the bowl with fire; and it pictures the ram mentioned in the Bible as replacing Isaac, Abraham's son as the sacrificial object. There are also many small changes which are noticeable not only in the lay-out but also in the colors employed in the painting.

The identity of the author of the Munich canvas has not been determined. Most researchers believe it was Govert Flinck, who in 1636 completed his studies under Rembrandt. However, the mention of Ferdinand Bol in 18th century inventories remains a weighty argument.

This version, as well as several old copies that have come down to us, attest to the success of Abraham's Sacrifice, which embodies a brilliant artistic idea.

At the very last moment, an angel stops Abraham from killing his own son, Isaac. Pretending they set out to slaughter a lamb, Abraham actually intended to sacrifice Isaac to his god.

One year on, Rembrandt would make a similar painting.

The Binding of Isaac (Hebrew: עֲקֵידַת יִצְחַק‎‎), also known as The Binding (הָעֲקֵידָה) and the Akedah or Aqedah,[1][2] is a story from the Hebrew Bible found in Genesis 22. In the biblical narrative, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Moriah, Abraham begins to comply, when a messenger from God interrupts him. Abraham then sees a ram and sacrifices it instead.

This episode has been the focus of a great deal of commentary in traditional Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sources, as well as being addressed by modern scholarship.

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Abraham of Isaac (The Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac)

Rembrandt

Work Overview