Who painted Elijah in the Desert?

Washington Allston painted Elijah in the Desert in 1818.

What Bible passage does Elijah in the Desert depict?

Elijah in the Desert depicts the biblical scene from 1 Kings 19:3-18.

Elijah in the Desert by Washington Allston

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Elijah in the Desert is an oil painting created in 1818 by Washington Allston, a pioneering figure in early American Romantic art. The large canvas, measuring over 125 by 184 centimeters, is part of the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and is currently on view in the Penny and Jeff Vinik Gallery. It was the very first artwork acquired by the museum, even before it had a physical building, donated in 1870 by Mrs. Samuel Hooper and her daughter, Alice Hooper.

The painting is based on a passage from the Old Testament (1 Kings 17:1–7), where the prophet Elijah is sent by God into the desert and miraculously sustained by ravens that bring him bread and meat. Allston evokes the loneliness and spiritual gravity of Elijah's experience through a bleak and expansive desert landscape rendered in muted tones of brown, steel blue, and gray. The figure of Elijah is small, almost overwhelmed by the desolate environment, emphasizing his isolation and the painting’s meditative tone.

This work reflects Allston’s deep study of European masters during his time abroad. He draws on the expressive use of color characteristic of Venetian painter Titian and the dramatic compositions of Baroque artist Salvator Rosa. The emotional intensity of the scene, combined with its subtle palette and classical influences, typifies Allston’s Romantic sensibility.

Born in South Carolina, Allston graduated from Harvard and later studied in London under Benjamin West. He traveled extensively through Europe, spending extended periods in Paris and Rome. After returning to the United States, he settled in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts.

In 1827, Allston sold the painting to Henry Labouchere (later Lord Taunton) in London. Following Labouchere’s death, the painting was purchased in 1870 by the Hooper family in Boston and donated to the Museum of Fine Arts. Alice Hooper, recognizing Allston’s importance to American art, suggested that the new museum be named in his honor, referring to him as “the one great artist of America.”

The painting remains a cornerstone of the MFA’s collection and a testament to Allston’s legacy as a foundational figure in American art history.

Details

Artist: Washington Allston
Created: 1818
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimension: 184.8cm × 122cm
Passage: 1 Kings 19:3-18

Found in: 1 Kings, 1 Kings 19, 19th century

1 Kings 19:3-18

3 When he saw that, he arose, and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. Then he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough. Now, O Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”

5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat!”

6 He looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.

7 Yahweh’s angel came again the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

8 He arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, God’s Mountain.

9 He came to a cave there, and camped there; and behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” Behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake a fire passed; but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice.

13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

15 Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.

16 Anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place.

17 He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.

18 Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.”

1 Kings 19:3-18 · World English Bible