Jacob's Body Is Taken to Canaan 1902

James Tissot made this painting of Jacob’s body being taken to Canaan with soft, diluted strokes of watercolor. I’m imagining Tissot carefully and tenderly applying thin washes, building up these vibrant scenes. You see the procession, almost like a frieze, with the characters all lined up in a row. It makes me think about those old biblical stories. I'm imagining him thinking deeply about the Bible while laying the pigment. It’s so fascinating to observe how the different color temperatures create a certain mood in the painting. The cooler blues and greens of the carriage against the warmer tones of the flesh, create a harmonious contrast. Tissot's ability to suggest form with minimal brushstrokes reminds us of the fleeting nature of life, and how artists, like us, grapple with conveying the weight of history through delicate gestures.