“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you” (Genesis 22). As a result of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God, Isaac is saved by an angel. This unexpected intervention leaves Artists and readers questioning Abraham's feelings in the moment. The Sacrifice of Isaac by Philippe de Champaigne and The Sacrifice of Isaac by Orazio Riminaldi both display a scene of the biblical story involving Abraham and the sacrifice of his son to God. Through the facial and body expressions, composition, and color, de Champaigne’s painting indicates a focus on the conflict and traumatic aspects of this event, while …show more content…
In de Champaigne’s painting, Abraham’s shoulders are facing away from the angel and in towards Isaac. He also has a grip on Isaac's hair with his left hand and tense muscles throughout his arm that is holding the knife. Abraham is still in the mindset of performing the sacrifice and hasn’t come to terms that Isaac is saved by the angel. His tight grip and tense muscles show he has conflicting thoughts about whether to go through with the sacrifice or trust the angel because this is the type of body language one would have that is about to perform the violent act. . In de Champaigne's work, his facial expressions hint at his thoughts. Abraham has low set eyebrows and smooth face. The smooth face shows that his facial muscles are relaxed. He still has a sad mood rather than surprised and relieved that the angel has arrived. He seems as though he has not come to terms that Isaac is saved. In Riminaldi’s painting, Abraham’s chest is open and facing up towards the angel. His left hand lays on Isaac's hair with fingers spread apart and his right hand is lifted by the