#puffy clouds

Classic Reflections and Symmetry

Have to replenish my ready to post photos, but had this classic lake one ready to go for now :)

A pretty autumn day at Burnaby Regional Park with the puffy, white clouds reflected in the lake.

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

Artist: Thomas Gainsborough (British, 1727-1788)

Date: 1783

Medium: Oil on canvas

Elijah Taken Up in a Chariot of Fire

Artist: Giuseppe Angeli (Italian, 1712-1798)

Date: c. 1740-1755

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, United States

Elijah and the Chariots of Fire

The image of Elijah’s ascension into heaven has embedded itself in the popular mindset. That image is most often incorrect. The following example from the National Gallery of Art is illustrative: in the 18th century, Venetian artist Giuseppe Angeli produced a work that he titled “Elijah Taken Up in a Chariot of Fire”. In it, the disciple Elisha kneels, arms thrown wide, and watches as his mentor is taken up into heaven, seated in a chariot of fire. In reality, that’s not at all what happened in the text. In 2 Kings 2:11, Elisha and Elijah are walking and talking together when they are suddenly separated by supernatural chariots and horses, both made of flame. This fiery divine vanguard is not what transports Elijah; instead, it serves to sever the divine realm from the human realm, safeguarding from the explosive results of what could happen if the two realms were to mix. Elijah is then brought up to heaven by a whirlwind or a storm. In artistic interpretations, Elijah is often placed as riding the chariot instead of the whirlwind.

Before i forget