De schepping van Adam en Eva 1565 - 1630

Antonio Tempesta created this engraving, “The Creation of Adam and Eve,” during the Counter-Reformation, a period defined by the Catholic Church's response to the rise of Protestantism. Tempesta’s choice to depict the creation story places the authority and creative power with a masculine God, who stands above Adam and Eve, literally and figuratively. The narrative reinforces a divinely ordained hierarchy with man above woman and both subservient to God. Eve emerges from Adam's prone body, almost as an afterthought, solidifying her secondary status in the eyes of the church. While the bodies are idealized, there is also a striking vulnerability in their nakedness. They stand innocent, unaware of the implications of their existence, their poses suggestive of future submission and obedience. Tempesta invites the viewer to consider the consequences of choice, belief, and power.