There is a lot of art that cannot be understood without knowing the Bible and mythology, so I will summarize it by episode (Old Testament Part 41) - "Moses strikes the rock" and "The death of Moses"

I am learning about art through a 1000-day challenge, but isn't there too much Western art that you can't really understand without properly knowing the Old Testament, New Testament, and Greek mythology? Including homages and such. That's no fun, so to enjoy art more, I have a strong desire to
at least know the Bible and mythology, even if only superficially, so I've decided to organize representative episodes and the art related to them. I have no intention of covering or interpreting the Bible and mythology; this is just a series to grasp the parts that seem like common knowledge to Westerners. If you'd like to learn along with me, please join me.
I'll start with the Old Testament
. After the Old and New Testaments, I'll cover Greek mythology. Maybe Buddhism too. Also, the logs for this series will be summarized here
.

Well, the story of Moses will also come to an end with this and the next installment.
The next one will be about Joshua, so effectively, this is where we say goodbye to Moses.

Man, Moses' life was really tough.

Born to slave parents, picked up by a princess to become a prince, spending a rebellious youth, committing murder and fleeing, getting married in a rural town he escaped to, and living peacefully as a completely quiet man—that was Moses.

Yet, at the age of 80, he heard the word of God and, to save the Israelite people who were in a state of slavery in Egypt, he went to Egypt with a heavy heart.

The quiet and soft-spoken Moses, while having his eloquent brother Aaron speak for him, went through many hardships and escaped Egypt with the 3 million enslaved Israelites, aiming for the "Promised Land of Canaan."

However, throughout the journey, the complaints and dissatisfaction of these 3 million people were truly terrible. They were 3 million people who were ignorant of the world and steeped in a slave mentality.

No matter what miracles were shown to them, or even if they incurred the wrath of God, as soon as the danger passed, they would immediately start complaining and grumbling again.

Even after parting the sea to annihilate the Egyptian army, or making food called manna fall from the sky, they never stopped complaining and grumbling.

Moses continued to endure in silence.
The wildness of his youth would also occasionally surface. Even though he received the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, he witnessed the people engaging in idol worship while he was away, and in a fit of rage, he smashed the tablets.

But, basically, he endured many things.

The "Bronze Serpent" episode and the "Punishment of the Rebels" episode I wrote about last time also stemmed from the complaints and dissatisfaction of the Israelite people.

Man, it was really tough, wasn't it, Moses?

Just because he heard the word of God, one hardship after another visited him.

And what's more.

In this episode, he doubted God just a little bit (or rather, Moses just thought, "Huh?"), and Moses himself incurred the wrath of God, and in the end, Moses is not allowed to enter the "Promised Land of Canaan".

Oh, after going through so much trouble, and on top of that, struggling for 40 years leading 3 million selfish people, it's truly pitiful.

Now then, let's look at this episode, "Moses strikes the rock."

The story is simple.

In the middle of the journey, as usual, the Israelite people are complaining and dissatisfied.

'Ah, I'm thirsty.' 'I'm so thirsty I could die.' 'Why do we have to go through all this trouble?' 'If we had stayed in Egypt, we wouldn't have had to go through this.' 'That Moses guy, acting all high and mighty.' 'Yeah, that's right, even though he doesn't even feed us properly.' 'Ah, but still, I'm thirsty.' 'I'm dying, give me water.' 'Water, water.'

Moses endures it.

Water? I will bring forth water.

'Honestly, all they do is complain...' thinking this, Moses responds to their request and strikes the rock with the 'staff' that has performed so many miracles until now.

'Water, come forth!
...Huh? It's not coming out.
Hmm, well, one more time.
Uh, water, come forth!'

With the second strike, water gushed from the rock.

The people shouted, 'Wow! It's water!' and rushed toward it.

Oh, thank goodness, Moses felt relieved.

Then, a voice came from heaven.

'Moses, Moses.
You used the staff twice.
In other words, you doubted my power once.
Is that the extent of your faith?
Understood.
You will no longer be able to enter the land of Canaan.'

...Wait,
No,
No, no,
No, no, no,
No, no, no, no,

G, g, God~~~~~!!!

And so,after wandering for 40 years, Moses cannot enter Canaan and dies in the wilderness (the end).

Too pitiful.
Truly pitiful.
I mean, God is also way too quick to snap.
He's been revering you all this time.
Why snap over something like this?
This is unrelated, but the string of characters forms a beautiful trapezoid.

Luca Signorelli has summarized the highlights of the latter half of Moses' life in one piece.Luca Signorelli has summarized it in one piece.

The order is like this.
(By the way, the highlights of the first half of Moses' life are depicted by Botticelli in this episode.)

1. Moses being told by God, 'You can no longer set foot in the land of Canaan.'

(2) Moses, dejected, coming down the mountain (poor thing...)

I think the person with him is his successor, Joshua.

(3) Moses, realizing his time is near, conveys his final wishes to the people

(4) Moses appoints Joshua as his successor to lead the people

(5) Moses dies in the wilderness (the location of his grave is also uncertain)

Honestly, I really feel for him...

Now, let's look at some paintings of the episode where he strikes the rock.

First, today's piece.

Late Renaissance to early Baroque painter Nicolò Bambini.

Moses' expression is great.
He struck the rock to bring forth water and everyone was cheering "Yay!", but God suddenly said from heaven, "Moses, you doubted me."

"Huh!?"

He's like, "Huh!?"
This expression is really good lol

I also like how the camera is angled from below.

Corrado Giaquinto.
I empathize with this painting... huh? Empathize with what, you ask?
Well, there are almost no paintings of this type that realistically depict "thinning hair" (is that what you're focusing on?).

Look, like this person.

And this person too!

Maybe Giaquinto himself was thinning on top!!

Tintoretto.
It's super unique how it gushes out like a fountain instead of flowing like a waterfall.

Moses with a smug look.
But hey, 'Moses, behind you!' (like 'Shimura, behind you!')
God is glaring at you!

Tintoretto painted another one.
No, I don't think the Israelites would line up in such an orderly fashion.
I think they'd be screaming and rushing in.

Jacob Jordaens.
The Israelites rushing in. Everyone for themselves!

Jan Steen.
A peaceful scene. I wish he had painted it more like a wild party, in true Jan Steen style.

The masterPoussin.
A colorful and beautiful piece. But I think it would have been much more desolate in reality.

Bacchiacca.
A scene where people are taking water in turn from the rock that produces water. For some reason, Moses is kneeling in the center.
It's a bit too peaceful, isn't it?
By the way, I wonder what is happening on the mountain in the back right. I don't know.

Filippo Lippi.
Yeah, the livestock are happy too, aren't they? That kind of piece.

Marc Chagall.
It's a heartwarming miracle. It's peaceful.

Gustave Doré also painted it.
The perspective and such are amazing.
Wait, I see, water gushes from the rock and becomes a river.
If it's a river, the water will reach 3 million people. I see, as expected of Doré.

Jacopo Bassano.
After seeing Doré's, I think the water source is too small.

Bassano again (below).
This composition and chaos... the 'Noah's Ark' episode is a composition I saw often around there. Bassano really likes this kind of composition lol

Abraham Bloemaert.
Moses is in the darkness in the back left. You can clearly see the people rushing to the stream.

Gioacchino Assereto (Gioacchino Assereto).
The child in the foreground is cute.

Valerio Castello.
He must have been someone who excelled at painting women beautifully.

Hendrick de Clerck.
Moses and the water source are in the center background. No, isn't it too clean and elegant? lol

Joachim Wtewael.
The camel has stopped moving, and the dog is emaciated. Water came out in the midst of that. It's a painting that really captures a sense of chaos.

Pieter de Grebber.
Moses looks like a high school teacher writing something on a blackboard.

Murillo.
A beautiful painting. Moses is listening to the words of God's wrath.

By the way, is this... a camel? lol An ostrich? A Chocobo?

The last painting in this episode is a fresco painted on the wall of a catacomb.

This face of Moses is slowly growing on me lol

Now, let's move on.

Even after this episode of "Moses strikes the rock," the complaints and dissatisfaction of the Israelites just won't stop.

They finally reach the land of Canaan, but Joshua, who went to scout it, returns and reports this.

"It was a wonderful land, but the inhabitants seem quite strong. It will be a struggle, but we can definitely win. Let's do our best!"

He tries to encourage everyone, but they are all super against it.

"Don't talk nonsense!" "There's no way we can win!" "We aren't soldiers." "That's right, we're slaves." "If we fight such strong-looking people, we'll die in an instant." "We're gonna die, we're gonna die." "No to war!" "We're as weak as locusts." "Let's go back, let's go back to Egypt." "Yeah, Egypt was better after all." "Egypt is the best!"

Hearing this, God gets angry again.

(It's always this pattern lol)

"How long will these people continue to complain to me!
I went to the trouble of trying to let them into Canaan, but that's enough!
I've reached my limit!
You will not be able to enter Canaan for the next 40 years!
You will die in the wilderness!"
　

Some of the people, panicked and thinking "Oh no!", suddenly start attacking Canaan without thinking ahead, but since they have no strategy, they are soundly defeated and everyone dies.

And then, for the next 40 years (I'll repeat this many times, but apparently "40 years" means "a very long time," so I don't know if it's 40 years in real time), they wander around without being able to enter Canaan...

So, in terms of the map below, 3 million people wander around the orange line area around Canaan for 40 years.

And, in the top right of the map.

Here, Moses dies.

On Mount Nebo, while gazing at the 'Land of Canaan, which he could never enter due to God's wrath,' Moses breathes his last.

James Tissot depicts Moses looking out at distant Canaan with a slightly gentler touch than usual.

And then, Moses breathes his last right there...
How lonely.
Truly, thank you for your hard work.

He died at the age of 120.
It was a turbulent 40 years since he heard the voice of God at age 80...

Tissot's painting makes it look like a cross.
He is likely superimposing it with the Passion of Christ.

Is this a Bible card or something? Moses gazing at the land of Canaan. As the title 'THE DEATH OF MOSES' suggests, he breathes his last here after this. But the exact location is uncertain, and his grave has never been found. Perhaps he was never buried.

Alexandre Cabanel depicts Moses being welcomed by God. Did God forgive Moses or not? This one also has a cross-like feel.

An old Bible illustration. Angels are carrying Moses into some cave. The logic must be that the reason his grave hasn't been found is because angels buried him.

Chagall also painted it. It is a beautiful painting. A painting that makes you think about what Moses was feeling and what God was thinking.

By the way, his brother Aaron died on the right side of the map, on Mount Hor (said to be Jabal Haroun in the World Heritage site of Petra, Jordan), and there is an actual grave site (though there are dissenting theories).

Tissot also depicts the end of Aaron.

The end.

Moses, Aaron, and their sister Miriam, all smiling together. And they are surrounded by smiling people.

You all went through a lot, didn't you (deeply moved).

Chagall, thank you for painting such a gentle picture.

With that, this is the end for now.

Next time, the final chapter of the Moses story, 'The Battle of Jericho'..

It is the story of Joshua, who was chosen as the next leader, repeating battles and finally entering the land of Canaan.

I wish I could have let Moses see it too...

*
The logs for this series are summarized here.

**
Corrections for mistakes are welcome, but I do not intend to debate interpretations of the Bible. My goal is simply to 'learn the surface of the Bible to enjoy art,' so please forgive me.

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This article references and refers to: "Visual Guide: The Bible and Famous Paintings", "Reading Old Testament Stories and Paintings through Illustrations", "World Famous Paintings Traced through Christianity and the Bible", "The Bible: Color Bible", "The Bible Painted by the Masters", "Reading the Old Testament through Art", "Reading the New Testament through Art", "Tracing Saints through Famous Paintings", "Art Bible", "Art Bible 2", "Bible Stories: Old Testament", "Bible Stories: New Testament", "Reading the Bible through Paintings", "Unraveling the Mysteries of Famous Paintings with Kyoko Nakano: Old and New Testament Edition", "Basics of Western and Japanese Art History", "Basics of Western and Japanese Art History: Continued", and various articles on the internet.