Eve 1960

Tsuguharu Foujita presents us with 'Eve,' a vision of the biblical figure surrounded by the animal kingdom. Eve's handmaid is, of course, the serpent, coiled around her head in place of a crown. In religious tradition, the snake is a symbol of temptation, and knowledge. The fruit, held delicately in her hand, is the cause of the fall, and the beginning of human history. Yet, consider the serpent's presence throughout art history. In ancient Greece, snakes were associated with healing, and their likeness adorned the staffs of physicians. Consider also the Ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail, a symbol of eternity and cyclical renewal found in Egyptian and alchemical traditions. Foujita's choice of the serpent taps into both the fearsome and transformative aspects of this primordial symbol. We are drawn to the psychological weight of this image and the subconscious tension between innocence and awareness, as Eve stands on the threshold of a new reality. This painting serves as a potent reminder of how cultural symbols are not fixed, but rather evolve, resurface, and are continuously reinterpreted through the ages.