And an angel of G‑d called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." And he said, "Do not stretch forth your hand to the lad, nor do the slightest thing to him, for now I know that you are a G‑d fearing man, and you did not withhold your son, your only one, from Me." (Genesis 22:11-12)

And an angel of the L-rd called to Abraham a second time from heaven. And he said, "By Myself have I sworn, says the L-rd, that because you have done this thing...I will greatly multiply your offspring...and through your children shall be blessed all the nations of the world, because you hearkened to My voice." (Genesis 22:15-18)

The primal and simple palette of earthy browns reflects this poignant moment when the angel appears to Abraham at the Akeida telling him not to sacrifice his son. The painting evolved as a result of both emotional struggle and intellectual grappling with the ephemeral world in search of eternal truths. A lot of revision went into the creation of this painting—passages were reworked extensively so that the resulting layers of brushwork take on a life of their own. The sheer physicality of paint becomes as central to the work as the chosen subject. Much depends on a willingness to make drastic changes, and to take advantage of Divine flow that arises during the creative process.