Adam and Eve by Auguste Rodin

I recently visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art to view the museum’s Auguste Rodin collection, which celebrates the centenary of the artist’s death. The collection includes works such as The Thinker, The Hand of God, and the bronze sculptures titled Adam and Eve, which are positioned across from each other at the entrance of the exhibition. Adam and Eve were originally intended to flank Rodin’s famous Gates of Hell. Despite never being included in the Gates of Hell, Adam and Eve are still excellent representations of Rodin’s talent with bronze and expressions of the human body.

Adam and Eve depict original sin. Adam, the figure on the left, is portrayed as a strong man who contorts his arm in an effort to cover his body. Eve, the figure on the right, folds her arms in disgrace in effort to cover her breasts. Rodin contrasts the idealization of Adam’s body, which is evident in his exaggerated musculature, with the disfiguration of the human body, which is seen in the twisting of his arm and leg. Rodin’s Adam references Michelangelo‘s depiction of Adam in The Sistine Chapel. In Michelangelo’s Adam, Adam reaches his finger, pointing toward God. Rodin incorporates the use of Adam’s pointed finger in this statue, but Rodin changes the direction, given the shameful depiction, and points Adam’s finger downward. Similarly, the gazes of Adam and Eve also point downward, which further emphasize the shame of both Adam and Eve.

If you are interested in Rodin’s work, make sure to visit the Rodin exhibition at the MET before January 15th, 2018.

Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/191804

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