Jacob Wrestling with the Angel

Hananiah Harari went to Palestine in the early 1930s to explore his Jewish heritage, and this painting was completed shortly after his return to New York. He painted a traditional biblical subject in a very modern way, placing abstract shapes and patterns together to resemble two figures. They appear equal in size and strength, but the figure on the left, with its feather-patterned "wings," probably represents the angel. Different peoples and cultures fascinated Harari, and he created several paintings based on his travels, describing them as his "search into the world."

Credit: Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost