Landscape with the Calling of Elisha,Jan Massys
In front of us unfolds a sloping Flemish hilly landscape with meadows, farms and winding roads. On the left a woman opens a gate for a covered wagon. Using diagonals Massijs lets us feel the spaciousness of the scene. The artist was inspired by the monumental landscapes that Pieter Brueghel the Elder painted a decade earlier. Although our attention is mainly drawn to the beautiful nature, it is intended as a frame for a biblical scene. In the foreground we see how the prophet Elijah throws his white cloak of prophets over the shoulders of the ploughing Elijah, and how he is frightened by this symbolic act. The giving away of the mantle of the prophet is a reflection of the handing over of the keys by Christ to Peter.
