Daily television throws at us images of people fleeing their homes to go into an unknown. Like Adam and Eve in the bible, they have to leave their country, their “paradise”, however humble it may be. As a child refugee myself I relate to their sorrow. How did artists over time deal with the biblical story?
The desolation of leaving one´s paradise is powerfully depicted in this fresco by the early Renaissance painter Masaccio (1401-1428). Can this really have been created as long ago as in 1426? In its expressiveness it reminds us of Picasso´s Guernica or Edward Munch´s Scream. Masaccio died at the age of 27. Nevertheless he had enormous impact on the artists of the 15th century, especially on Michelangelo.
The unknown French or German Master has imagined a Mediaeval wall and a Gothic structure through which the two unfortunates are expelled. The angel who has been given the task of driving them out is wielding a sword and yet, there is none of the drama present in Masaccio´s fresco. Adam, depicted as an old disgruntled man, seems far from happy, but Eve shows little emotion in her face. Contrary to Masaccio, one can assume that the Late Gothic artist felt that they deserved their fate and there was no reason to show any empathy towards them.
The oil painting by Pontorno (1494-1556) has a fascinating background story. Apparently, the work was commissioned by Cardinal Giovanni de Medici in the 16th century, and is believed to have been inspired by the sadness he felt at the death of his lover. When we lose a belovèd, does that also feel like being driven out of some blissful paradise? Here Pontorno shows anguish and fear rather than sorrow. The angel driving them out is a putto while the snake, with a female face, is looking on. The dark, ill-defined background, with eerie light falling only on the figures – all this adds to an atmosphere of dread and horror.
In Michelangelo´s fresco, in the Sistine Chapel, it becomes obvious that he was much more comfortable painting male bodies rather than female. Eve is as muscular as any man, and her face is that of an old woman with a downright evil expression. Much has been speculated about the fact that Michelangelo´s women, especially in the Sistine Chapel, tend to be “men with breasts”. While unsurpassed in the portrayal of the male body, Michelangelo (1475-1564) clearly seems to have had trouble depicting a supple, sensuous female body. Art historians to this day cannot provide a satisfactory answer to this question.
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), the painter and skilled printmaker from Nuremberg, pays most attention to the angel who has been ordered to drive the couple out of the garden of Eden. Dürer shows his mastery in the art of woodcut printing in the detailed depiction of the angel´s gown and wings. Note how vulnerable the two naked bodies appear in contrast to the richly-garbed angel. All is set against a dark and forbidding background as if it was happening during the night. There is no sign of the snake, only one apple hangs on a branch beside Dürer´s monograph under the date, 1510. While we see Eve only from behind, Adam looks back with an expression of anguish. The angel not only brandishes a huge sword but even pushes Adam forcefully, as if to speed him up. How did Dürer ever manage to “paint” this drama so impressively in what is the very demanding woodcut medium!
The interpretation of the theme by Giuseppe Cesari (1568-1640) is somewhat theatrical, as art of the Mannerism period often tends to be. Adam and Eve are shown naked, and as such very vulnerable. The angel, however, certainly does not look very fierce, even though wielding a tiny sword. It is altogether much too pretty a scene to evoke a feeling of dread – a feeling present in the Masaccio, the Pontorno, in Michelangelo and in Dürer. Cesari worked in Rome and was much patronized by the two Popes during his time. His major claim to fame is the fact that famous Caravaggio worked in his studio as his apprentice, where he learned to paint fruits and flowers.
The 18th century French painter Charles Joseph Natoire (1700-1777) places the two figures in an idyllic landscape, typical of the Rococo period. He has chosen the moment in which God scolds the couple for having eaten from the forbidden tree of knowledge. Eve is crying in a somewhat coquettish way, more like a nymph than a woman in distress. Adam pleads with God to forgive him, his hands folded in prayer. God appears from the sky, surrounded by angels. He raises His finger in a gesture much like a teacher admonishing a pupil. The two culprits are discretely covered by ivy leaves; it is all very pretty and playful, just as the French court in the Ancien Régime would like it. The scene takes place under the infamous tree, we can see quite a number apples. As likely in the garden of Eden, a goat lies peacefully beside Eve while a blue snake slithers away into the distance. Not much drama here (…is there?).
Benjamin West (1738-1820) is best known to Canadians for his historical painting of the Death of General Wolfe. He alone adds two motifs we have not seen in any of the preceding examples: an eagle swooping on a helpless bird, and a lion chasing frightened horses. The beasts attacking their prey emphasise that the harmony which existed among all creatures has now been destroyed. A repulsive snake adds to the sense of doom. Eve clings to Adam who covers his face in despair.
Marc Chagall (1887-1985)) created this panel long after he had returned from his exile in New York. He too was driven out of his paradise to flee from the Nazi Vichy occupation in France and spent seven years in New York, speaking very little English. His enigmatic depiction of the expulsion shows Adam and Eve riding on a red rooster with a white angel in their pursuit. The most puzzling element is light coming from a white moon which looks like a colourful bouquet. Might this be God?
Finally, a very different statement by a female painter: Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938). She has chosen the moment when Eve, with a defiant gesture, is reaching for the apple while Adam is trying to stop her. Both faces look very contemporary, certainly not creatures living in biblical times. I find it disconcerting to have the story taken out of its biblical context. It has been suggested that at this point Valadon was living with a much younger man, which society disapproved of in 1909. Was this relationship the forbidden fruit? As an aside, Valadon was the mother of Maurice Utrillo, the celebrated painter of the streets of Paris.