“And the L‑rd G‑d caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and he slept, and He took one of his sides, and He closed the flesh in its place. And the Lord G‑d built the side that He had taken from man into a woman...” (Genesis: 2: 21-2)

In the first chapter of Genesis we are told, "G‑d created man in his image, in the image of G‑d He created him, male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). According to the Midrash, Talmud and Zohar, the original man, Adam, was first created as a "double –faced" being, made up of a male and female joined at the back. Fused together the figures in the painting reflect man as a two-sided creature with one face male, and one face female.

In the second chapter of Genesis the female is separated and formed into woman, (through a Divine surgical process). In the painting, a deep sleep descends on the man lying on the ground, as he sinks into the black realm of unconsciousness. His hair extends backwards like tendrils rooting into the earth from which he was created, while his white face turns up to receive the descending rays of life. Meanwhile the female side which once was attached to him, separates and rises from the darkness to become her own being. Her pearly face shines against a joyful sky tinged with splashes of color. After this primordial uncoupling, an everlasting yearning to reconnect remains between every man and woman as well as the hope that they can now meet each other face to face, a level of intimacy greater than unity