The flight into Egypt 

Jean-François Millet's "The Flight into Egypt," presents a somber scene rendered through lithography. The composition, dominated by stark contrasts, casts the figures of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Christ into near-silhouette against a softly lit horizon. Millet masterfully employs light and shadow to evoke a mood of pensive urgency. The figures, shrouded in darkness, appear almost spectral, their forms emerging from the textured depths of the print. Vertical lines suggest the density of the night. The work’s structural simplicity—its stark tonal range—belies a deeper engagement with themes of exile and divine protection. Semiotically, the subdued palette and the obscured faces invite us to consider the universal experience of displacement. The figures are reduced to archetypes, their individual identities subsumed by their symbolic role. Millet’s formal choices emphasize the precariousness of the Holy Family’s journey, highlighting the tension between the sacred and the mundane. The image serves not merely as a depiction of a biblical event, but as a meditation on the human condition, exploring themes of vulnerability, faith, and the search for refuge.