This painting is incredible. In person, it sneaks up on you in a way that isn't duplicated on a computer screen. The world is ending, as told in Revelation, the sixth seal has been opened, only one to go. Initially one is struck by the commotion of this cataclysmic scene. It's a large, aggressive painting whose pandemonium confronts the viewer. But that is the backdrop to the central message. Slowly, eventually, you sort out the noise and notice a slave whose chains have just been broken. Though the world is near an end, he is rejoicing at his new-found freedom. What a statement--in support of freedom, in opposition to slavery. This is a key role of art: for the brush to say something better than one could ever do with words. This painting passes that test.

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