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Artist: Bassano, Jacopo (Jacopo da Ponte) 1 of 1
 
The Flight into Egypt

The Flight into Egypt, c. 1544-45

Jacopo Bassano
Italian, 1510-1592
Oil on canvas
framed: 60-5/8 x 90 in. (154.0 x 228.6 cm); canvas: 48-1/2 x 77-1/4 in. (123.2 x 196.2 cm)
Norton Simon Art Foundation
M.1969.35.P
© Norton Simon Art Foundation

On view

Jacopo Bassano specialized in the production of Biblical, pastoral scenes featuring peasants and animals. His paintings were admired for their richness of color and complex designs. Here the procession is animated by a strong sense of diagonal movement, the swirling draperies and the emphatically gesturing angel. Only the Madonna and Child, the physical and spiritual apex of the composition, appear tranquil. The sublimely eccentric angel leads them into undefined, even precipitous territory. His right hand points to a sprouting tree, a symbol of Christ's resurrection. This type of intricate, picturesque composition, pleasing in every detail, was inspiring to later generations of artists.

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Artist: Bassano, Jacopo (Jacopo da Ponte) 1 of 1