Rust tijdens de vlucht naar Egypte 1835

Rodolphe Bresdin rendered this intricate print, "Rest on the Flight into Egypt," using lithography to conjure a dense tableau. The Holy Family finds respite amidst a primeval forest—a symbolic refuge teeming with life yet fraught with the unknown. Consider the symbolism of the forest itself, a motif stretching back to antiquity, representing both danger and sanctuary. Forests recur in mythologies across cultures as spaces of transformation, echoing the journey of the soul. The figures of Mary and Jesus, enveloped by this wilderness, tap into our collective unconscious. The image evokes the archetypal themes of flight, protection, and the nurturing mother. Bresdin masterfully uses the forest as a stage where the sacred narrative unfolds, inviting viewers to engage with these symbols and iconography, echoing through the halls of cultural memory.