Paradise

Edgar Tolson, Paradise, 1968, carved and painted white elm with pencil, 12 7⁄8 x 17 x 10 in. (32.7 x 43.2 x 25.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.271

Artwork Details

Title
Paradise
Artist
Date
1968
Location
Dimensions
12 7⁄8 x 17 x 10 in. (32.7 x 43.2 x 25.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
carved and painted white elm with pencil
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — reptile — snake
  • Animal — lion
  • Animal — cattle
  • Animal — bird — owl
  • Landscape — tree — apple tree
  • Religion — Old Testament — Eve
  • Religion — Old Testament — Adam
Object Number
1986.65.271
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.271

Artwork Description

Edgar Tolson created many carvings that show Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He believed that the Fall of Man, along with the crucifixion of Christ, was one of the most important moments in history because it symbolized human weakness. A former preacher with vulnerabilities of his own, he seemed particularly attracted to images of this event. In Paradise the devil in the form of a serpent slithers toward the Tree of Knowledge, an act that foreshadows Adam and Eve's fall from grace. Tolson painted the serpent black to identify the devil's wickedness in contrast with the pure white elm of the rest of the figures.

Works by this artist (3 items)

Chet La More, Ku Kluxers, 1939, color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from D.C. Public Library , 1967.72.149
Ku Kluxers
Artist
Date1939
color lithograph
Not on view
Chet La More, Old Dock, n.d., color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from D.C. Public Library, 1967.72.148
Old Dock
Artist
Daten.d.
color lithograph
Not on view
Chet La More, Construction, ca. 1935-1939, color woodcut on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Audrey McMahon, 1968.98.32
Construction
Artist
Dateca. 1935-1939
color woodcut on paper
Not on view

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Artist
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Image Not Available
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Artist
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Not on view