15th Century Italy: Masaccio's Expulsion of Adam and Eve

One painting from fifteenth century Italy that I found particularly interesting is called the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise by Masaccio. This painting immediately sparks a sense of rejection and vulnerability in the viewer from the effect of the nakedness of Adam and Eve and the body language that they possess. The elements that intensify this reaction were commonly used in Italian painting during the Early Renaissance.

With the rise of the Renaissance came naturalism. In the Expulsion, we see that the proportions of Adam and Eve are very life-like. The way Adam is hunched over while Eve tilts her head back in despair is quite naturalistic and contrasts the stiff poses that we studied in ancient art. Masaccio was building his figures off of their bone structure to get an idea of the actual body mass, instead of focusing on the details solely on the surface of the figures, like Flemish painters. For instance, the figures’ knees and Adam’s arms pulling in from his shoulders are very human-like. Another thing that stuck out to me is Adam’s hair. Southern European artists tended to stylize things like hair, in little ringlets and swirls, going back to the classical look. In this painting, however, Adam’s hair is more impressionistic. It’s natural in the way the light source is casting shadows upon his tangled locks, the viewer can get a sense of the texture and waviness of his hair. More unnaturally, line is utilized at the left side of the painting perhaps to show God’s disappointment as he shouts at them from his throne to leave The Garden of Eden because of their sinful lifestyle.

Furthermore, atmospheric perspective became a popular method of implying space in painting. Here, the viewer can see that there is space behind the two figures given by the illusion of mountains in the background. The foreground color is a bit darker and as it recedes into the background the color becomes lighter to describe that the mountains are farther away. Another technique used in this painting to emphasize depth is the foreshortening of the angel. The viewer can see the upper body of the angel, but because her lower body is farther back in space, we can only see the shape of her right leg pulled forward under the fabric of her dress.

This painting is so appealing to me specifically because of Eve. Masaccio’s modest depiction of her is appropriate for this situation because after she and Adam were kicked out of Eden, they walked away mourning and covering themselves in fear of being seen naked. This is similar to the Venus. I find the “pudica” venus of the Renaissance extremely fascinating and Eve is the epitome of her. For her sin, God bestowed her with the discomfort and embarrassment of being nude. No longer is she free to roam around top less but she feels as if she is being watched and therefore covers herself. This draws more attention to Eve’s sexuality and idealizes her body which is a frequent image created in Italian painting. Naturally, the arousal created by the image of the pudica venus, or in this case Eve, is ideal.    

                The first thing that caught my attention in this painting was the visible sections of variations of blue in the sky. This leads me to believe that this is a wet fresco painting because most artists used this format often. The sections of blues indicate that Masaccio had to paint quickly in different sections one at a time.    

                All in all, Masaccio’s painting is a great example of some of the most commonly used formal elements in Italian painting in the fifteenth century. The viewer sees evidence of the religion and culture through the narrative.  We see the illusion of space created through atmospheric perspective and light and most prominently, naturalism coupled with idealism to duplicate nature and create the ideal in celebration of the human form.