Abraham’s Oak
1905
Henry Ossawa Tanner masterfully captures the mystical atmosphere of the Holy Land in this moody, blue-toned landscape. The massive, twisting silhouette of Abraham's Oak dominates the left side, its dark branches reaching toward a luminous, solitary moon. Below, two tiny figures trudge across the rugged terrain, emphasizing the overwhelming scale and ancient solitude of the biblical setting. Tanner, an African American artist who found great success in Paris, was famous for infusing traditional religious subjects with a deeply personal, atmospheric spirituality that broke away from stiff academic conventions.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
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