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The picture is on the borderline between Ferenczy's two artistic periods. If one compares the picture with "The Three Magi", signs of change soon to follow are evident. The peculiar atmosphere of nights and days are gradually substituted by the sobriety of daylight, then the bright sunshine, which is accompanied by the concreteness and realistic portrayal of motifs. Comparison with "The Three Magi" is fairly obvious, not just because of the biblical origin of the subject matter, but because of the presence of the forest, too. An angel appears to Abraham who wants to prove his faith in God by sacrificing Isaac, his son. A sign from heaven prevents the father from carrying out his plan.
Ferenczy never tried to find setting for his subject matters around Nagybánya, it was the other way around. When he was painting "Abraham's Sacrifice", it was not the mystic atmosphere of the forest but its lively pomp which inspired him. In "The Three Magi", branches of trees devoid of light lock up behind the mythical riders, and the cool depth of the forest fills half of the picture. A further substantial difference is that the forest in "Abraham's Sacrifice" appears in its objectiveness in the sunshine and plants are present as long as they are essential to indicate location. The Angel stepping out of the forest is not so much of a heavenly appearance, he is rather a worldly man, young and attractive, although his gesture is majectic, serious and authoratitive.The figures of Abraham, Isaac and the Angel are somewhat oversize as compared with those of the three riders. As a result of the dramatic situation, the setting has become limited, nature is pushed back into the background and is a carrier of esthetics. The dynamic figure of the Angel is surrounded by the two passive figures. This form of composition matches the arrangement of colours in "The Three Magi", where red is glowing in the middle of cold colours.
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