The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden
Workshop of Abraham Bloemaert (Gorinchem 1564 - Utrecht 1651)
Oil on canvas (118 x 81 cm - Framed 129 x 91 cm)
Artwork details (click HERE)
The artwork portrays a famous scene from the Old Testament (Genesis 3:23-24), namely the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden after having broken the only prohibition imposed by God: the two protagonists are depicted naked, covered only by ivy tendrils, in the heart of a lush natural environment and visibly heartbroken by the weight of remorse for the sin committed.
We see at the bottom the serpent which, after having managed to make Eve pick the forbidden fruit, is slithering away furtively, and also a rabbit which, instead, alludes to the serene nature and the innocent life of the garden before the sin.
Looming above them is the angel with the flaming sword, with his powerful iconographic presence, which represents divine justice, protection and punishment that, following God's will, is ordering them to move away from Eden, pointing in the opposite direction with his finger.
The composition derives from an invention of Abraham Bloemaert (Gorinchem 1564 - Utrecht 1651), later disseminated by an engraving by Jan Pietersz. Saenredam (1565-1607) around 1604 (see M. G. Roethlisberger, Abraham Bloemaert and his sons, Ghent 1993, p. 123, n. 75), contributing to the popularity of this iconographic subject.
A prominent figure in 17th-century Dutch painting, Bloemaert was the founder of the renowned 'Utrecht School' with a career that lasted for over sixty years, spreading his style thanks to the numerous engravings created on his works, mostly by Hendrick Goltzius, as well as by the aforementioned Jan Saenredam.
The artists of his entourage, students of the Utrecht school or followers, took advantage of his compositions, often handed down from prints and drawings, as models: just like the author of our canvas who, from a stylistic point of view and considering the era, we can easily identify as an active exponent in his workshop during the seventeenth century.
1. Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the earthly paradise, Jan Saenredam (Zaandam, 1565 – Assendelft, 1607), after Abraham Bloemaert
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. LINK: https://www.nga.gov/artworks/90148-expulsion-eden
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is sold complete with a pleasant gilded frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
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