Flight into Egypt
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Webster
Accession Number
1975.57
Tags
donkeyChristFlight into EgyptJosephMary
About this artwork
This painting shows the flight of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus into Egypt. Robert Loftin Newman was very close to his mother, and he painted many subjects that emphasized the bond between mother and child. He never knew his father, however, and in this painting the figure of Joseph appears only as an indistinct figure in the shadows to the right. (Landgren, Robert Loftin Newman, 1827-1912, 1974) The atmospheric colors and indistinct shapes evoke the ânew spiritâ of American art that em...