Artwork
La Lutte de Jacob (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel)
La Lutte de Jacob (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Léon Bonnat. It dates from 1876 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
La Lutte de Jacob (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel) is a drypoint print created by Léon Bonnat in 1876. It is executed in black on laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a biblical scene: Jacob wrestling with an angel. The title references this narrative, while the image conveys the intensity of the struggle through the entwined figures and strained muscles.
Technique & Style
Bonnat employed drypoint technique, using etched lines to render the scene. The method involves scratching the paper with a needle, creating textured, expressive marks. The resulting image features dark, crisscrossed lines in the background, evoking shadows or tangled forms.
Artist & collection
Artist
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (French pronunciation: ; 20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur, art collector and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
