Adolphe Lalyre (1848–1935) — Eve, Expelled From Paradise

Oil on panel. Hand-signed.

In this austere sketch by Adolphe Lalyre, the first woman does not weep in the face of impending punishment, but rather delays her exile by surrendering to the languor of one last voluptuous rest. Reclining on the stony carpet of a now-shaded Eden, her ivory silhouette and slender nakedness display a serene defiance in the face of the Creator’s decrees. A cascade of fiery hair—a guilty, coppery red—spreads across the earth like a shapeless flame, contrasting with the marbled tone of her polished flesh. With a languid gesture and her gaze lost in the mists of paradise lost, this Eve with her decadent aura shows no remorse: she savors the fleetingness of the moment, knowing that the very morbidity that today condemns her to finitude will tomorrow crown her as the absolute sovereign of desire, knowledge, and shadows.

- Unframed image dimensions: 36 x 18 cm / 54 x 36 cm with an exclusive custom frame.