In Genesis, Sarah persuades Abraham to cast out her servant Hagar along with Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar. Ishmael grew up to become the patriarch of the Arab Nations, and Isaac, Sarah’s and Abraham’s son, became the patriarch of the Jews and Christians. The separation of the two step-brothers marks the beginning of the struggle between the Semitic cousins, Arabs and Jews, that continues to this day. Fenton acknowledges this story’s place in art history by including an image of Robert Strange’s 18th-century painting above the fireplace. Both artists recreate the story in their own time period, presenting the story as a contemporary domestic drama. If Isaac and Ishmael cannot find a way to share their home, Fenton suggests it will surely be lost to both of them.
Tag: Genesis
Bird House
The genesis for this painting was sparked by the artist’s visit to his daughter’s apartment in New York City. Gazing out from her balcony, he constructed imaginary life stories unraveling on the stacked balconies in front of him. All the balconies suggest separate existential lives, which the pigeons have the clearest view.
Akedah-The Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac (Akedah) found in Genesis is retold as a contemporary story of popular culture’s sacrifices of children. Each panel dramatizes the moment in which the angel stops Abraham from sacrificing his son. God provides a sacrificial ram as a substitute for Isaac. A metaphoric ram and other visual metaphors are used in each panel to help dramatize and draw parallels from the Biblical story to the present.