Art Lesson

Punk'd refers to the MTV show where a bunch of skaters go around performing practical jokes on celebrities. The pranksters reveal their hoax by yelling out "Punk'd" to the victim.

The painting depicts the scene where the Lord sends an angel to tell Abraham that he'd been punk'd. Background: the Lord had ordered Abraham, the Lord's humble and most valued servant, to kill Isaac, Abraham's only beloved son. The very son that Abraham had to wait till his 60's before the Lord gave him strong fertile sperm to impregnate his wife Sarah.

This scene was painted by Caravagio, and is one of the most powerfully composed pieces of drama of the late renaissance. The unity of movement from left to right, as we see the angel staying the hand of Abraham that is holding the knife, moves the eye towards the writhing face of Isaac. As per usual, Caravagio models all three bodies perfectly, and the light unifies the scene. Although the light seems to be of an interior quality.