Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (La Lutte de Jacob avec l'Ange)
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Object Label
Here, the artist portrays a biblical story as if it were a moment from a dream. Emphasizing the narrative’s visionary qualities, he places his two diminutive figures at the bottom of the canvas, between towering trees and bathed in an atmosphere of opalescent color. Odilon Redon was one of many artists at the end of the nineteenth century who, as he described, freed himself from “the encumbrances of naturalistic particularities” in favor of “the representation of imagined things.”
Caption
Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916). Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (La Lutte de Jacob avec l'Ange), ca. 1905–1910. Oil on canvas, 56 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (143.5 x 62.2 cm) Frame: 62 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 3 in. (158.8 x 77.5 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Alexander M. Bing, 60.31. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Artist
Title
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (La Lutte de Jacob avec l'Ange)
Date
ca. 1905–1910
Geography
Place made: Europe
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
56 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (143.5 x 62.2 cm) Frame: 62 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 3 in. (158.8 x 77.5 x 7.6 cm)
Signatures
Signed lower left: "Odilon Redon"
Credit Line
Bequest of Alexander M. Bing
Accession Number
60.31
Frequent Art Questions
Why is that figure nude?
Well, you may have read this on the label already, but this is actually a biblical scene: Jacob wrestling with an angel. Angels are sometimes depicted without clothes, but I could see why you would see the artist's choice to show Jacob without clothing as interesting. Redon is known for his symbolist paintings, so the nudity may have a specific meaning for him--a return to nature, perhaps? An epic wrestling match where everything is exposed? There could be many reasons behind the nudity that are meaningful for the symbolists.Who is depicted here?
This early-20th century French work depicts the Biblical figure Jacob wrestling with an angel. Odilon Redon was known for his symbolist works in oils, prints, and pastels.
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