Expulsion from Paradise
Summary
After eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden by God. An angel with a flaming sword is placed at the garden's entrance to prevent their return. This moment represents the loss of innocence and the beginning of human mortality and suffering.
Biblical Reference
Book(s): Genesis
Chapters/Verses: Genesis 3:22-24
Artworks Depicting This Story
Fall of Adam and Eve and Expulsion
Completed in 13 days. Previously the Temptation and Expulsion had been depicted separately, but Michelangelo united them in the same fresco. On the left, Adam and Eve reach for the forbidden fruit offered by the serpent (depicted with a woman's torso); on the right, an angel drives them from Paradise. The contrast between their idealized bodies before the Fall and their aged, shamed forms after is striking.
