Leroy Almon was not a painter of visions but of tales so familiar they became part of him. Here he illustrates the well-known story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac with a power that belies the simplicity of its presentation. As Abraham raises the knife to kill his beloved son, his arm is immobilized in the rush of the angel’s wings and the blinding light that heralds the heavenly apparition. Lying limp upon the stone altar with his legs dangling loosely, Isaac is almost an afterthought. Meanwhile, the small ram with his head in the bush appears to comprehend his own fate—his eyes almost beg for help.