A Defeated Soldier Cries Out to Heaven

Prompt

Psalm 44 (for the sons of Korah): "You make us to turn back from the enemy... we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleep you, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever... For our soul is bowed down to the dust." On a dusty hillside after a lost battle, a battered Israelite soldier in a simple leather cuirass kneels in the dust beside his broken spear and dented round shield, his head thrown back and his hands lifted in a desperate appeal to heaven. He is large and central. Behind him a few weary comrades sit with bowed heads, and the plain below is empty and quiet. Golden late-afternoon sun breaks through clouds overhead, hinting at hope. Style: a blend of photo-realism and cinema, like a still from a big-budget film. Bright, rich, saturated, luminous colour, clear daylight or glowing golden light even in dramatic scenes, never murky or muddy, crisp detail, real human faces full of emotion, shallow depth of field, subtle film grain. Simple, uncluttered composition: ONE clear scene from this chapter, with the chapter's main character or characters large, close and central in the upper and middle frame, and a simple background. No montage, no collage, no inset vignettes, no crowd of small figures competing for attention. Historically accurate ancient Near Eastern clothing, architecture and landscape. Keep the bottom quarter of the frame simple and uncluttered (ground, water or sky) so a large chapter number can be set over it. Absolutely no text, no letters, no words, no numbers, no logos, no watermark, no border, no frame.