Picture in Focus: The Burning Bush by Robert O. Hodgell

September 27, 2020

Picture in Focus: The Burning Bush by Robert O. Hodgell

The subject of this week's featured image from the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection is Moses, the greatest prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures. Born into slavery in Egypt, he was found drifting in a basket on the Nile by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in the Egyptian royal court. After striking a blow for the subjugated Children of Israel, Moses went into hiding, tending sheep in the wilderness, where he received a call from God to free his people from their bondage to the Pharaohs and lead them to their historic homeland in the great Exodus, one of the foundational stories of the Bible. American Graphic Artist Robert O. Hodgell captures the moment when Moses encounters God (revealed, simply, as I AM) when he stops to marvel at a mysterious burning bush. With typical touches of humor, the artist shows us the Prophet's oversized toes as he stands shoeless on holy ground, while a curious ram presses forward for a closer look. This new linocut from Hodgell joins other prints on biblical themes on his biosketch page in the Sacred Artists section. (John Kohan)