"And God Made the Lesser Light" is a Giclée print on watercolor paper after the original lithograph from Abel Pann's portfolio, "The Bible - Genesis: From the Creation until the Deluge." Originally published in 1924, the complete portfolio includes 25 lithographs that each depict a different story from Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament. Here we have the 6th print in the portfolio, an illustration of Genesis 1:16, "God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also." Pann split the creation of the greater and the lesser light into two separate artworks, the latter of which is depicted here. Illustrated as a total eclipse, the moon moves in front of the sun, forcing the greater light of day to give way to the lesser light of twilight.

Though the portfolio today is rarely found in a complete set, each lithograph is an individual work of mastery by Pann, who was once considered one of the most important artists in Israel.

Art: 10-1/4" x 8"
Frame: 28-1/4" x 21-3/4"
Printed signature in the lower right

“Over many years, Abel Pann (1883-1963) was regarded as the foremost Land Of Israel Painter. This view was shared by the Jewish community throughout the world and by the general public in pre-State Israel where reproductions of his works were hung in almost every home”. This is how Yigal Zalmone, Chief Art Curator of the Israel Museum, describes Abel Pann.

An interesting approach that Pann used in these illustrations was to depict the Biblical subjects using contemporary clothing and imagery. Using contemporary Middle Eastern characters in Oriental dress within local settings fulfilled the Zionist dream that the Jewish people were going to return to their homeland and renew their days of old.