Abraham and Hagar

Abraham and Hagar, painted around 1637, depicts the patriarch sending Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness at Sarah's insistence. The emotional complexity of this Old Testament scene—the tension between duty to God, love for a son, and the cruelty of exile—offered rich dramatic possibilities for Baroque painters. Cortona's treatment emphasizes the pathos of the departure. Characteristic of Cortona's approach, the work displays exuberant illusionism, dynamic compositions, rich color, grand decorative schemes.

The composition creates a powerful emotional dynamic between the departing figures and the watching Abraham, with gestures and facial expressions conveying the anguish of separation. Warm, atmospheric landscape elements frame the human drama with characteristic Baroque sensitivity.