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Jacob's departure from Laban
Luca Giordano·c. 1670
Historical Context
Jacob's Departure from Laban at the Musee Toulouse-Lautrec depicts the Old Testament patriarch's flight with his wives and flocks. Giordano treated numerous Old Testament narratives, bringing his characteristic energy and vast compositional skill to biblical storytelling. Oil on canvas suited Giordano's rapid working method: he typically laid in compositions with fluid, transparent washes then built form with loaded brushwork, completing large canvases in days. His stylistic eclecticism — abs...
Technical Analysis
The procession of figures, animals, and possessions creates a dynamic, frieze-like composition. Giordano's rapid, confident brushwork captures the movement and scale of the biblical exodus.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the dynamic, frieze-like composition of figures, animals, and possessions in procession — the subject demands a horizontal format that Giordano fills with varied silhouettes and movement.
- ◆Look at the confident brushwork conveying movement and scale: Giordano's 'fa presto' technique renders the biblical exodus with the same energy he brings to battle scenes.
- ◆Find the variety of figures in the procession: human figures, animals, laden baggage create the sense of an entire household in movement across a landscape.
- ◆Observe that the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec in Albi — best known for its Toulouse-Lautrec collection — also holds this Giordano, reflecting the wide dispersal of his work across European provincial museums.
