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.
“God made the first Adam and Eve and I made the second. But I lack a long shot of being God.” Edgar Tolson, quoted in Michael D. Hall, “You Make It with Your Mind,” The Clarion, 1987
- Title
-
Expulsion
- Artist
- 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
-
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- carved and painted white poplar with pencil
- Classifications
- Keywords
-
- Religion – angel
- Religion – Old Testament – Adam
- Religion – Old Testament – Eve
- Landscape – tree – apple tree
- Animal – reptile – snake
- Object Number
-
1986.65.270
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI
