Expulsion

Edgar Tolson, Expulsion, 1975, carved and painted white poplar with pencil, 14 x 13 ¹⁄₂ x 9 ¹⁄₈ in. (35.5 x 34.8 x 23.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.270

Artwork Details

Title: Expulsion
Artist: Edgar Tolson
Date: 1975
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 14 x 13 ¹⁄₂ x 9 ¹⁄₈ in. (35.5 x 34.8 x 23.2 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: poplar
pencil
Mediums Description: carved and painted white poplar with pencil
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Religion — angel
Religion — Old Testament — Adam
Religion — Old Testament — Eve
Landscape — tree — apple tree
Animal — reptile — snake
Object Number: 1986.65.270
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.270

Artwork Description

Edgar Tolson created around a hundred carvings that show Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He believed that this event, along with the crucifixion of Christ, was one of the most important in history because it symbolized human weakness. (Michael D. Hall, "You Make It with Your Mind," The Clarion, 1987) In this piece, Tolson left the wood bare to symbolize the innocence of the first couple, but painted the snake black to highlight the devil's wickedness.