"Flight into Egypt" depicts the Holy Family's clandestine evasion of King Herod's assassins (Matthew 2:12–14), Tanner's favorite biblical story. It expresses his sensitivity to issues of personal freedom, escape from persecution, and migrations of African-Americans from the South to the North. The painting, which reveals a concern for human emotions and an awareness of the mystical meanings of biblical narratives, also manifestsTanner's affliliation with contemporary Symbolism and the religious revival that occurred in response to challenges of the modern era.
On the back of this canvas is a study for the prizewinning workTanner entitled "Christ at the Home of Lazarus," painted about 1912 and now known only from photographs.
Flight Into Egypt
oil on canvas • 73.7 x 66 cm