Elijah In the Wilderness
Elijah In the Wilderness, acrylic on canvas, © 2024 D. Yael Bernhard
This painting emerges from the Book of Kings, which tells of King Ahab, who ruled in ancient Israel from 874-853 BCE, and the prophet Elijah. As the story goes, King Ahab is a Jew who marries the idol-worshipping Jezebel, who in turn compels the subjects of the kingdom to worship her pagan “god” Baal. This is anathema to the Jewish people, who worship an invisible, omnipresent Creator. They are descended from desert nomads – yet agriculture and settled city-states are on the rise, and along with it, hierarchical power structures which King Ahab wishes to consolidate by way of marriage – so he acquiesces to his wife’s wishes. This incenses Elijah, who places a curse of drought upon the land. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel are enraged, and send soldiers in pursuit of the prophet to kill him.
Although Elijah has acted independently and perhaps exceeded his power as a prophet, his omnipresent God (who I think of as a literary character in the context of this story) offers him protection, telling Elijah to flee to the Wadi Cherith east of the Jordan River, where he will dwell in the wilderness, drink from the waters of the wadi, and eat wild meat and bread provided by ravens. This Elijah does, bringing him literally to his knees as he is humbled by exile in nature. Left to learn his own lessons, he lives more like an animal than an educated prophet. Elijah must bring together his intellectual prowess with his most basic need to survive. Meanwhile, the drought brings calamity on both his pagan enemies and his own people – and even himself, as the water in the wadi dries up. Has he triumphed, or has he failed?
An image of the particular moment in the story came to me. I treated this as a landscape painting – or rather, a monochromatic brush drawing in brown acrylics. Drawing with a brush is very satisfying for articulating the textures and tones of a landscape. I started by using by full-strength color and then watering it down to suggest solid objects, shadows, etc. One of the very first landscape paintings ever done – meaning the landscape itself is the subject and not just a background – was by Leonardo Da Vinci, rendered in a similar technique with sepia tones. Wishing to be influenced by it, I kept a print of this painting on hand while I worked. I even copied some of the rock formations.
I nearly left the painting in brown and white, but the image had a mind of its own, and demanded a clear aqua sky and a touch of red in the prophet’s cloak. I know better than to disobey my muse. So I added some hints of color, treating the piece more as a colored drawing or hand-tinted etching than a painting. A great deal of white canvas still shows through, suggesting the hot, dry stones of this desert landscape.
I’m sure it wouldn’t be easy to survive in such a place. Yet the battle for the soul of the Jewish people – and for freedom from fundamentalist notions of carved idols possessing the power of gods – had to be fought, no matter what the price. Many prophets perished in this war of ideologies, which seems to have reared its head again and again in different forms throughout history, as people have been forced to kowtow to oppressive, power-driven belief systems.
I’m grateful to have freedom of choice when it comes to my spiritual beliefs – for now.
Elijah In the Wilderness is the image for July 2025 in The Jewish Eye 5785/2025 Calendar of Art, just published and available in my webstore, on Amazon, or if you’re local, directly from me. All the images may be viewed in my webstore.
The original painting of Elijah In the Wilderness is for sale. Please inquire for more information if you’re interested.
A good week to all!
D. Yael Bernhard
https://dyaelbernhard.com
Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!
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