Jakobs kamp med englen 1905

Curator: This aquatint, rendered in stark blacks and greys, is entitled "Jacob Wrestling with the Angel," completed by Oluf Hartmann in 1905. Editor: Immediately, I feel a sense of enclosed struggle, like these figures are caught in a shadowy space that’s pressing in on them. Is it me, or does it feel kind of…claustrophobic? Curator: That’s a powerful first impression. In this print, Hartmann tackles a classic biblical story brimming with symbolic heft. It explores themes of faith, perseverance, and transformation. Think of Jacob—a figure known for his cunning—wrestling with an unknown entity. Editor: The “unknown entity” always gets me. What is it, a divine messenger or just the shadow self wrestling with your own doubts and fears? Hartmann captures that ambiguity so well in their embrace; there is fight and intimacy commingled together in it. Curator: Absolutely. Jacob's journey embodies internal struggle. This wrestling becomes a transformative ritual, as Jacob refuses to yield without a blessing. Note how Hartmann has depicted a primordial scene, a space unbound by the specifics of landscape. The Symbolist influences shine here. Editor: The darkness really amplifies it, doesn't it? Like this battle can only be fought under the cover of night, with the stakes unknown. Is it meant to represent our internal battle? Is the angel just an extension of Jacob? It would make so much sense. Curator: It could be interpreted that way. The print utilizes deep contrast, highlighting a profound psychological or spiritual confrontation. The outcome of that encounter grants him not just a blessing, but a new identity, doesn’t it? He goes from Jacob to Israel, ‘He who strives with God.’ Editor: Maybe that's what all struggles, inner and outer, really are: desperate grasps for a blessing, some kind of name change in your life? Curator: It resonates beyond the biblical text; it touches on the very essence of human struggle and renewal. Thank you, Oluf Hartmann! Editor: Thanks to the unknown angel, for urging us on!