Eve 

Editor: This watercolor and pastel work is entitled "Eve" by George Barbier, but its date is unknown. The composition and pastel colours lend a dreamlike, fantastical feel to the iconic biblical scene. I'm intrigued by the symbolism here. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It’s fascinating how Barbier appropriates this very loaded scene. Consider the placement of figures. Eve is centrally located, in possession of the apple, seemingly relaxed. What does this tell us about her power in this narrative? Editor: It's almost as if she's not burdened by guilt, right? The traditional story casts her as the temptress. Curator: Exactly. Notice also the figure behind her: Pan, a pre-Christian deity of nature, rather than the traditional serpent. It evokes a pre-Christian or pagan world, shifting the weight from a fall from grace to a return to nature, before rigid moral structures. The snake is still there but tamed. What emotional connections do you make with this shift? Editor: Interesting...so the figures chosen change the whole mood of the picture...a bit subversive maybe? I assumed the serpent always had to be there as a symbol of the fall of humanity! Curator: Barbier seems to be playing with established imagery, yes. Note the presence of the flamingo. Birds frequently feature as intermediaries between worlds and the flamingo takes on further significance here. This imagery asks us to look beyond the immediate symbolism of sin and acknowledge a world of freedom before the constructs of sin took root. A return to the garden, perhaps. Editor: I never thought of that particular arrangement of figures this way! It gives you pause as to which meanings and symbols you take for granted. Curator: Precisely. That’s how symbols are reborn, reshaped, and imbued with renewed significance across eras.