Rest on the flight into Egypt with Saddled Donkey 1871

Rodolphe Bresdin created this print, Rest on the flight into Egypt with Saddled Donkey, using etching and engraving. Bresdin, a complicated figure, existed on the margins of nineteenth-century French society, and his art often reflects this outsider status. The print depicts a biblical scene, yet it’s less about religious dogma and more about the human experience of refuge and rest amidst a journey. Consider Mary and Joseph, not as divine figures, but as migrants seeking safety. The donkey, often overlooked, becomes a symbol of labor and perseverance. Bresdin’s intricate technique renders a dense, almost claustrophobic forest, mirroring the uncertainty and fear that refugees might experience. The romantic themes of his work were in contrast to the bleak realities of the artist's life. Bresdin once said, "Poverty was my cradle, misery rocked me, misfortune brought me up, grief has never left me." This print, filled with its own kind of darkness and light, invites us to reflect on the universal quest for peace, safety, and dignity.