Adam en Eva na de zondeval 1755

Editor: Here we have Jean Jacques Flipart's 1755 engraving, "Adam and Eve After the Fall," currently residing in the Rijksmuseum. It’s quite stark, all monochrome tones, and yet...there’s something so theatrical about their poses. What jumps out at you? Curator: It feels like a stage, doesn’t it? The figures, plucked right from some Baroque drama. What I see is the exquisite tension in that moment of realization, etched onto their faces. And it's so intriguing how Flipart blends the classical ideal of beauty with this palpable shame. Does that divine light seem almost…cold to you? Editor: Cold is a perfect word! I was thinking about how the light source illuminates their nakedness and casts a judgmental shadow. It feels almost… invasive, as if their privacy is completely gone. Is that a goat by Eve? Curator: It is. And a rather startled looking goat at that. Perhaps representing their lost innocence, or a pagan element now present in this post-Eden landscape. It's as though nature itself is reacting to their transgression. Flipart is doing so much more than illustrating a biblical story, wouldn’t you agree? He is inviting us to contemplate guilt, the loss of innocence, our human foibles…all with a rather theatrical flair. Editor: Definitely more than illustration! I hadn't considered the goat as a symbol of paganism – that really opens up a new perspective for me. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Every viewing unveils new layers, like peering into the soul of art itself. And sometimes it whispers secrets back.