Original Sins: Graven Images

As the title suggests, the figures in this painting are Adam and Eve, a familiar topic of Western art. In keeping with traditional depictions of this Biblical story, it is Eve who stands upright and assertive, in contrast to the reclining and passive Adam. The active stance of Eve in contrast to Adam’s emphasises woman as the temptress and cause of sin for humankind. 

Morreau captures a significant moment for prejudices against women in Western society: the Fall of Man. The backwards glance of Eve invites the spectator to identify with this female protagonist, inviting an empathetic moment of reflection. Morreau depicted other stories in which women have been blamed for creating difficult states of being, such as Persphone (the creation of the seasons of summer and winter) and Psyche (blissful union terminated by woman’s desire for greater knowledge).