John lifts both arms high above his head.
Bible in art · Matthew
The Voice in the Desert (La voix dans le désert)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Tissot showed John the Baptist from behind, standing barefoot on a rock above a winding valley of grey and pink hills — the wilderness of Judea, like the desert country he sketched on his travels.
John throws both arms up and calls out over the empty land. His tunic is short and rough, belted at the waist; his staff lies at his feet. There is no one else in the picture.
From the text
- John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Matthew 3:1)
- “A voice of one calling in the wilderness” (Matthew 3:3)
The artist’s own
- John seen from behind, alone, with no listeners
- The wide desert valley below him
Details
Raised arms
His tunic
A short rough tunic with a belt at the waist.
On the rock
He stands barefoot on a boulder, his staff beside him.
The valley
A pale dry riverbed winds through the hills.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.44) · 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".