Expulsion from Paradise 1687 - 1708

Editor: We're looking at "Expulsion from Paradise," an intaglio drawing by Pieter van der Plas II, created sometime between 1687 and 1708. It feels like a moment of raw, emotional departure, captured in stark detail. What catches your eye most in this piece? Curator: Ah, a wrenching moment indeed, isn’t it? The raw, hesitant energy vibrates right off the page. It's more than just a biblical scene; it's the anatomy of regret. See how the figures aren't just leaving, they're being pulled, dragged almost, from grace. Look at Adam, hunched and shielding his face, not from a fiery wrath, but, I suspect, from shame. It's almost like watching a part of ourselves walk away, isn’t it? What do you make of Eve's posture in contrast? Editor: I notice Eve isn’t covering herself; she appears to be in motion. Maybe less regret, and more a determined... what? Survival instinct? Curator: Survival, perhaps, tinged with a newfound knowledge. She’s not recoiling; she’s stepping forward. It’s subtle, but potent. Imagine being the artist, grappling with such a profound narrative, boiling it down to a few deftly placed lines. Each stroke carries weight, doesn't it? Almost as if he, van der Plas, was grappling with his own ‘expulsion’ from some inner paradise while creating it. Or are my thoughts a bit fanciful, do you think? Editor: Not at all! I love that idea – the artist’s personal struggle mirroring the biblical one. I’d never considered that connection. Curator: It’s the human element, isn’t it? It creeps into every stroke, every choice of light and shadow. To think a story so often told, so powerfully reinterpreted! I will look at this narrative so differently now! Editor: Exactly! It's a far richer story than I saw initially. I love how van der Plas made it relatable, humanized the fall. Thanks so much for your thoughts.