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Brueghel the Elder, Jan and Peter Paul Rubens. The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man. c. 1615, Mauritshuis, The Hague. Oil on panel, 29 ¼ x 114 ¾” (74 x 115 cm).
The main figures in the painting are the biblical characters Adam and Eve. Thought the upper halves of their bodies are covered in the shadow of the tree, their lower halves seem to almost be shining under the light. Since this painting captures the moment directly before the biblical fall of mankind, man is still sinless. Because of that fact, this glow could be interpreted as God's glory radiating out from the still perfect Adam and Eve.
Adam is sat with his back slouched on a rock and looks up at Eve who hands him the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. There is a sort of reversal of typical gender roles displayed here as his submissive behavior would usually be associated with feminine characters. Eve takes a more dominant stance. She is standing standing at full height, looking down towards her husband, and has her arm reached up to grab another apple from the tree. This complete flip of typical gender roles is seemingly supposed to be an example of what happens when women are given too much power and are not kept in check. Her decision to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil leads to the down fall of all of mankind and the artist seems to be implying that such ruin is all that awaits us when women rise to power.
Lurking above Eve is the serpent who helps bring about man's downfall. The serpent is coiled around the tree holding a branch with pieces of fruit directly above Eve's head as she also reaches out to pick it. The serpent is shrouded in shadow and is painted to camouflage with the tree he is in because of his predatory nature. He is an unrecognized threat that lingers above Eve's head like the sword of Damocles, a symbol of the pair's impending misfortune.
The tree of life is just a part of the background of the painting and is covered with shadows that would have been contradictory with the average 17th century viewer's expectations. Since eating the fruit of the tree of life grants the consumer eternal life, one would have expected the tree to be very vivid and possibly provide a sense of wonder but the painted tree is quite bland to look at. The tree's fruit is painted small to create depth and convey that it is far out of reach. After the fall of man which led to the entrance of sin into the world in the bible, all of mankind was essentially condemned to die thus making eternal life unattainable much like the tree of life's fruit. The shadows covering the tree create an almost ominous aura around the tree. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil however is made to look much more enticing. It is vivid and lively with its warm color palette, apparent fruitfulness, and many animal inhabitants. The warmer brighter colors draw in the eye of the viewer much like the serpent and the tree's fruit drew in Eve.
Savery, Roelant. Landscape with Animals (with Orpheus and the Thracian Women in the Background). c. 1628, Art History Museum, Vienna. Oil on panel, 13 ¾ x 19 ¼” (35 x 49 cm).
Hidden in the background of the painting are the Thracian women from Ovidian mythology. They are painted in nearly the same color as the ruins behind them making them incredibly easy to miss if one was not paying careful attention. Many people also tend to view paintings casually, spending a few seconds gazing at a work of art and then quickly moving on. Landscape with Animals is also relatively small in size, so the Thracian women in the background could be easily missed. The way in which they have been painted in the background is reminiscent of the way animals are often painted in portraits of humans. Their addition seems to be an after thought and the lack of detail that is given in their portrayal is sort of dehumanizing, easily lending the women to the vilification and condemnation of the viewer.
The foreground of the painting is filled with detailed images of animals peacefully resting on the ground. Each animal is carefully painted, with each animal being anatomically correct, proportionally sized, and bearing realistic colors. Predators and prey both coexist in the shade without a hint of violence or unrest. This harmony is juxtaposed with the chaotic violence of the Thracian women, posing the question of who the true animals really are.
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