Vlucht naar Egypte 1626 - 1657

Curator: Welcome. Today we'll be discussing "Flight into Egypt," an engraving created sometime between 1626 and 1657, now residing here at the Rijksmuseum. It's by Sebastien Bourdon. Editor: My initial reaction is to note its overall tranquility. Despite depicting a journey of escape, the soft etching creates a scene of serenity. The scale adds to this feeling; it feels intimate and almost precious. Curator: Precisely. Bourdon was working within a well-established visual language. The Flight into Egypt is a key episode in the Infancy Gospel of Matthew, where Joseph is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus to escape Herod's massacre of the innocents. It's about divine intervention. Editor: The composition directs our gaze across the print. We start with Joseph, Mary, and the donkey and move through the bushes to the column ruin and ultimately rest upon the ancient cityscape and hazy mountain background. What effect do you believe this detailed environment serves? Curator: It places the holy family within a historical continuum, embedding their personal narrative within a broader human story, which carries immense symbolic power, really emphasizing their displacement. Ruins often signified the fallen world awaiting spiritual renewal, emphasizing Christ as the harbinger of new hope and belief. Editor: I find fascinating the tension between the delicate detail and clear structure of the printmaking, especially considering it's intended to communicate religious and symbolic meanings. How do those two elements combine to invite the viewer to reflect on their narrative beyond the literal journey? Curator: That marriage of form and meaning is precisely what makes the print so compelling. The softness creates a meditative space, a quiet corner in which to contemplate themes of faith, escape, and new beginnings. The detailed setting also draws our imagination into the scene as it grounds what otherwise seems like an inaccessible, mythical situation into the tangible realm of human experience. Editor: Looking closely allows me to appreciate that. Considering the level of details and overall construction in “Flight into Egypt," I walk away pondering the role of classical compositions within historical, mythical and intimate artistic languages. Curator: Indeed, the flight into Egypt is a potent reminder of the enduring human need for sanctuary, and the surprising ways faith guides our path.