The artwork “Genesis: 32 (Jacob wrestles with the angel),” crafted by Lynd Ward in 1967 in the United States, belongs to the Expressionism art movement and falls under the genre of religious painting.
The artwork powerfully depicts the biblical scene of Jacob wrestling with the angel, a moment filled with tension and divine intervention. Rendered in stark monochromatic contrasts, the figures of Jacob and the angel are entwined in a dramatic struggle, their forms illuminated by precise, expressive lines that highlight their muscular tension and dynamic movement. The angel, characterized by its dark, enveloping wings, stands in sharp contrast to Jacob’s visibly strained and marked body, symbolizing the struggle between human and divine. The circular pattern beneath the figures draws the viewer’s eye towards the center of this spiritual and physical confrontation, reinforcing the intensity and emotional gravity of the scene. The overall composition, marked by its bold use of shadow and light, encapsulates the themes of struggle, faith, and transcendence integral to this biblical episode.
