Jesus goes up in a burst of white light.
Bible in art · Acts
The Ascension (L'Ascension)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Jesus rises into the sky over the Mount of Olives in a burst of white light, his arms lifted, his robe trailing below his feet. Far below, Jerusalem spreads out in a pale haze.
On the hilltop a great crowd watches: some raise their hands, some kneel, some cover their eyes against the light. Tissot painted the crowd much larger than the eleven of the text.
From the text
- “they watched as He was taken up” (Acts 1:9)
- “a cloud hid Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9)
The artist’s own
- A crowd of many watchers, not only the apostles
- A view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
Details
Rising
Jerusalem
The city spreads below in a haze.
Looking up
People shield their eyes and stare upward.
The crowd
Many watchers kneel and stand on the hill.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.348) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".