I’m back, after a break.
I do not recall these images in the previous thread; perhaps I missed them.
I was intrigued by the various depictions of Satan. As usual, I’m partial to William Blake’s. Paul says Satan can appear as an angel of light, so there’s no need for him to be hideous.
The picture that ‘got me’ was Tissot’s depiction of the angels ministering to Jesus. Aside from his usual artistic mastery, the utter exhaustion of Jesus is authentic; he appears close to death. Then the depiction of the angels, each with a tongue of fire, the Holy Spirit directing them is original and apt.
the utter exhaustion of Jesus is authentic; he appears close to death
It is unstated in the narrative, but surely it is implied: forty days of utter physical deprivation, followed by the unprecedented stress of the three most severe temptations anyone ever experienced, undoubtedly left him at death's door and in desperate need of angelic room-service. That is what I find unparalleled in Tissot: again and again he finds the central point and presents it to us.