Sodoma and Gomora on fire

Joachim Patinir painted this scene of Sodom and Gomorrah on fire around 1502, combining biblical narrative with his revolutionary approach to landscape painting. Patinir is considered the inventor of the independent landscape painting in the Netherlands, with his sweeping panoramic vistas dwarfing the human figures. The burning cities provided a dramatic subject for his atmospheric effects. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique.

Oil on panel with Patinir's characteristic panoramic landscape receding into blue-green atmospheric distance. The burning cities create dramatic orange-red accents against the cool landscape palette.