This is a reimagining of the prophet Jacob and his encounter with an angel. Jacob is troubled and on a trek in the wilderness by himself when he falls asleep near a river. His sleep is interrupted by the appearance of an ‘angel’ and he wrestles with the angel all night. When daylight breaks, he asks a blessing of the angel. It is at this point that Jacob’s name is changed to Israel.
There are many artistic depictions of this scene throughout the ages: the two figures are usually engaged in some kind of embrace, certainly showing monumental struggle, but often playing on the intimacy of two naked (or nearly naked) male bodies in an embrace. See Rembrandt, Gauguin, Chagall, etc. Some sculptures show the angel on top of Jacob as if he’s entering him from behind. The possible erotic interpretations are endless.
In our version, Jacob and the angel wrestle but the line between struggle and erotic longing becomes blurred just as it is in the many artistic depictions of this scene.
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