The Fall of Man 1919

Lovis Corinth made this scene, The Fall of Man, using etching, drypoint and aquatint. It's all these lines, you know, scratches, that pull you into this moment of the biblical story. I feel for Corinth here. I mean, how does one even begin to tackle something so loaded? There’s Eve, maybe reaching for the apple, and Adam looks, well, like he’s seen a ghost. The colours are earthy, like they’ve been dug straight out of the ground—browns and greens dominating, with these stark, almost violent lines crisscrossing the surface. The cross-hatching is so interesting in this print, it almost feels like Corinth is wrestling with the subject matter. It reminds me of how, as painters, we’re all constantly grappling with the same old stories, trying to make them feel new, personal, and true. Like we are always pushing against something, digging to find new ways to see and feel. Anyway, it's a conversation, right?