Verdrijving uit het paradijs / Adam bewerkt de aarde en Eva zorgt voor de kinderen 1716 - 1791

This print, made by Pieter Tanjé in the 18th century, visualizes two distinct moments from the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The composition is divided into two horizontal registers, each framing a scene with precise detail and contrasting emotional tones. In the upper panel, note how the expulsion is depicted with dynamic lines and swirling clouds, creating a sense of divine force and disruption. The angel's gesture and the couple's expressions convey anguish and loss, emphasizing the rupture from paradise. Below, the scene shifts to a terrestrial and somber mode. The lines are more static, representing the laborious reality of post-Edenic life. Adam's bent posture as he tills the earth and Eve's nurturing pose with their children introduce themes of work, family, and survival. These contrasting registers do more than illustrate a narrative. Tanjé uses formal elements to explore themes of divine intervention, human suffering, and the new social structures imposed by the fall from grace. The print invites us to reflect on the enduring symbolic power of this foundational myth.