Yona

2002 – 2004

“...And the LORD prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. ..Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly..And he said: I called out of mine affliction unto the LORD, and He answered me; out of the belly of the nether&‘world cried I, and Thou heard my voice..For Thou didst cast me into the depth, in the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me; all Thy waves and Thy billows passed over me..”

Jonah 2:1–4

Jonah is commanded by God to go to Nineveh and proclaim judgment upon its people for their iniquities. Refusing to fulfill the mission, Jonah boards a ship in a direction opposite to Nineveh. God brings on a great storm. The sailors try to avert the danger by throwing the cargo into the tempest of the sea. Jonah discloses that he is fleeing from a mission of his God and that the only way they can make the storm subside is by throwing him overboard. The sailors comply, and pray to the Lord not to hold them guilty for his murder, since it was He who has left them no other way of saving themselves. Jonah is swallowed by a great fish, from inside of which he prays to God. After three days and nights in the fish's belly he is spewed out on dry land.

In this painting of the ship in the tempest, Yoram Raanan uses a compilation of colors to portray the viciousness of the storm and the turbulence of the seas. The multi dye motif on the top of the canvas represents the sky, wind and the great fish (seen in the amidst the colors of the sky, attempting to swallow the ship), as great independent powers in the universe. These powers, despite flaunting their independent colors, still have to obey the universal order of the Almighty. The painting suggests the need for man's acceptance of God's word. Jonah uses the vehicle of the ship (seen floating in the independent power of the sea on the bottom of the canvas), to escape God's universal order. Jonah does not want to accept God's world order, but is persuaded to do so after having seen that human life and existence are impossible without God's mercy.

original height

50 cm.  19.69 in.

original width

70 cm.  27.56 in.

original media

Acrylic on Canvas

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