E19 – The temptation

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” (Luke IV, 1 – 2)

This engraving shows two heads that are very similar, or so it seems. However, the heads differ in depth by their expression on the one hand by meekness and firmness and on the other hand by cunning and malice. Evil is not the opposite of the good here, it is the degradation of it. Delhez made the Devil assume the face of Christ to accomplish this. Behind the Devil we see buildings that are reminiscent of Fontainbleau, but which extend vertically to skyscrapers. Behind Christ we see a medieval castle. We also see a church tower above which Angels are preparing to serve Christ after the temptation. At the bottom there is a fight between Jacob and the Angel. Among these figures one can also recognize Pan, Cyrano and Shylock who take turns representing the three phases of temptation, the flesh, the pride and the lust.

This work was made in Cocaraya (Bolivia) between the 7th of January and the 4th of February 1935.