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 (5 items)

John Lonergan, Circus Workers, gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1980.111.1
Circus Workers
gouache on paper
Not on view
John Lonergan, Girl with Flowers, gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1980.111.3
Girl with Flowers
gouache on paper
Not on view
John Lonergan, Fisherman with Net, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1980.111.5
Fisherman with Net
screenprint on paper
Not on view
John Lonergan, Mining Town, gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1980.111.2
Mining Town
gouache on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Oliver Tarbell Eddy, Self-Portrait, ca. 1850, oil on tin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.3
Self-Portrait
Dateca. 1850
oil on tin
Not on view
Jacob Maentel, Portrait of Elizabeth Sweitzer Musser, ca. 1826, watercolor and pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.5
Portrait of Elizabeth Sweitzer Musser
Dateca. 1826
watercolor and pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Jacob Maentel, Portrait of Adam Musser, ca. 1822, watercolor and pen and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.9
Portrait of Adam Musser
Dateca. 1822
watercolor and pen and ink on paper
Not on view
Ammi Phillips, Portrait of Helen (Lena) Ten Broeck, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ralph and Bobbi Terkowitz, 2019.6.10
Portrait of Helen (Lena) Ten Broeck
Date1834
oil on canvas
On view