Le Serpent D'airain 1650

Charles Le Brun created *Le Serpent D'airain* during the Baroque period using oil on canvas. The painting plunges us into a dramatic scene dominated by dark tonalities, punctuated by the figures’ flesh and the red cloak of the central figure, which directs our gaze. Le Brun uses the diagonal composition of the painting to enhance the emotional impact of the biblical narrative. The eye is drawn from the lower left corner, where the plague's victims writhe in agony, up to Moses, who stands tall, presenting the bronze serpent. The elevated snake on the central tree is the structural anchor. It offers the only antidote, as we see in the uplifted faces turning towards it. The artist masterfully organizes the composition, dividing the canvas into zones of suffering and salvation. But beyond its aesthetic appeal, the painting invites us to consider the semiotics of divine intervention. The serpent, a symbol of both poison and cure, challenges any straightforward interpretation. In this work, Le Brun explores how art can destabilize established meanings, inviting ongoing interpretation.