Elijah in the Desert Washington Allston 1818

Elijah in the Desert
Washington Allston 1818
From the collection of
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
According to the Old Testament's Book of Kings, the Lord sent the prophet Elijah into the desert, where he miraculously was kept alive by ravens who brought him food. Allston used the landscape to convey the mood and meaning of Elijah's story. The barrenness of the desert's terrain is made vivid by the painting's gritty texture. The prophet, bent over like the root of the gnarled tree and clothed in colors that echo the blue and brown of the scenery, is barely distinguishable from his surroundings. This painting, given in 1870, was the first work of art in the Museum's collection.
Details
Title: Elijah in the Desert
Date Created: 1818
Physical Dimensions: w1847.8 x h1250.9 mm
Type: Paintings
Rights: Gift of Mrs. Samuel and Miss Alice Hooper. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.
External Link: http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/elijah-in-the-desert-30844
Medium: Oil on canvas
Inscription: Reverse, before relining: W. Allston 1818; W. Allston A.R.A.
By: Washington Allston

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston, United States

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world with a collection that exemplifies the breadth, richness, and diversity of artistic expression, from prehistoric times to modern day.

World-renowned paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cassatt—as well as the finest group of Monets outside of Paris and one of the richest collections of prints and drawings in the world—share space with mummies, sculpture, ceramics, and gold from ancient Egypt, Greece, the Near East, and the Roman Empire, and masterpieces of African and Oceanic art from the 16th to the 20th centuries.

Paintings, sculpture, furniture, decorative arts, and fashion from North, Central, and South America are displayed in the context and era of their origin, including one of the finest collections of art from the United States.

Encompassing Japanese, Chinese, and Indian painting and sculpture; Japanese prints and metalwork; and Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese ceramics, the MFA’s collection of Asian art is unrivaled in size, scope, and distinction in the Western world.

In the MFA’s collection, contemporary art offers new perspectives, encouraging connections between the art of the past and the art of today. All media are represented: painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper, performance, installation, decorative arts, craft, design, and film and video.

Washington Allston
Nov 5, 1779 - Jul 9, 1843

Washington Allston was an American painter and poet, born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina. Allston pioneered America's Romantic movement of landscape painting. He was well known during his lifetime for his experiments with dramatic subject matter and his bold use of light and atmospheric color.
http://hisour.com/art-medium/paintings/elijah-in-the-desert-washington-allston-1818/