Jacob Wrestling with the Angel 1601 - 1668

Giulio Benso made this pen and brown ink with brown wash drawing of Jacob Wrestling with the Angel. This depiction of a struggle between man and the divine, is drawn from the Old Testament. The artist was working in Italy, a predominantly Catholic country, and such images reminded believers of the trials that they may be put through during their lives. But it could also speak to the power of faith and perserverance in a society that was often unjust. Note the muscular forms of the bodies, a common visual code in European art to reference classical antiquity and underline its claims to cultural authority. By exploring sketchbooks, letters, and other writings by the artist, we can find out how and why such meanings were attached to the image, and how institutions such as the church affected what art was made and why. It gives us an appreciation for how artists could negotiate the existing social norms.