Paradise

Edgar Tolson, Paradise, 1968, carved and painted white elm with pencil, 12 781710 in. (32.743.225.5 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
Dimensions
12 781710 in. (32.743.225.5 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

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 (8 items)

Edgar Tolson, Untitled (Uncle Sam), 1972, painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orren and Marilyn Bradley and Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2015.58.23
Untitled (Uncle Sam)
Date1972
painted wood
On view
Edgar Tolson, Paradise, 1968, carved and painted white elm with pencil, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.271
Paradise
Date1968
carved and painted white elm with pencil
On view
Edgar Tolson, Expulsion, ca. 1970, wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orren and Marilyn Bradley and Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2015.58.22
Expulsion
Dateca. 1970
wood
On view
Edgar Tolson, Temptation of Adam, 1974, carved and painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.272
Temptation of Adam
Date1974
carved and painted wood
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Edgar Tolson, Temptation, 1970, carved and painted white elm with pen and pencil, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.273
Temptation
Date1970
carved and painted white elm with pen and pencil
Not on view