Dense bands of parallel lines create the dark folds of its body while clusters of dots surrounded by lots of white space suggest lighter areas. Its curved back is created with spiky lines and a sort of starburst of short lines radiates out along his haunches. The amount of fine detail in this scene is astounding! Dürer using a combination of short angled lines, spikey lines, curved lines, even dots to build these convincing shadows and textures. He’s balanced on the highest point of rocky hills rising over Eve’s right shoulder, filling the upper right corner.

Behind and to the right of Eve lies an ox, looking completely bored.įinally, way in the distance is a tiny goat silhouetted against the sky. To its left, strides an shadowy elk, moving left to right behind Adam’s knees and the trees in the foreground. Behind the cat, a rabbit with its back to us, stares into the dark forest.

It seems to be ignoring the mouse scurrying towards it from Adam’s left foot. A sleepy cat lies at the foot of that center tree, facing left with its tail curling around Eve’s feet. They’re surrounded by animals, some on the ground, other behind them. Then he creates vertical seams in the bark by surrounding light highlights with darker, denser strokes. He uses thin horizontal and curved strokes to create the trunks and branches. Dürer does an incredible job suggesting their rough bark. The central tree and Adam’s tree are lighter than those behind them. Below it hangs a plaque that says Albrecht Dürer noricus faciebat 1504, which means Albrecht Dürer of Nuremberg made this in 1504. It extends over his head and there’s a parrot sitting on it, looking off the left side. His left hand grasps another branch that’s higher up, near his shoulder. Its trunk is thicker and more gnarled bending away from him before running off the left and top edges. He’s also covered by the leaves of a branch reaching around his hip from a tree on his left.Īll the other trees stand straight except for this one. Whatever it is, it seems to be the source of a slender branch extending from her right hand that ends in a very conveniently placed leaf covering her genitals. Her right arm hangs straight by her side but that hand is curled backwards cupping…something, it’s really hard to make out, even when I zoom in. The intersection of her left arm, bent at the elbow, Adam’s outstretched arm and the dangling snake head form a V. She receives it delicately in the fingertips of her left hand just next to Adam’s outstretched right arm. The snake lowers his head to offer Eve the forbidden fruit. What’s really bizarre is he has 4 nails sticking out of his head! A patterned snake coils around a branch next to Eve that’s about shoulder height and has leaves and fruit hanging from it. They stand on either side of a tree in the middle of the scene and here’s where things get weird. Eve’s streams out behind her like she’s in a strong wind while Adam’s is short, curling around his ear. Both have straight noses Roman noses, high foreheads and curly hair. They’re lit from the upper left, their muscular bodies delineating with soft shadows, some lighter, some darker. Behind them is a dense, dark, kinda spooky looking forest with trees rising off the top of the page. If you want to follow along, you can find it at /adamĪ naked man and woman stand facing us, their heads turned to look at each other in this letter-sized image printed with black ink. Today I’m looking at Adam and Eve by Albrecht Dürer So join me today for a long look in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC! I’m your host, Karen Jacksonĭid you know most people spend only a few seconds looking at works of art? But what happens if you slow down and take a long look? This season, we’ll be doing this virtually, at museums with great online resources.

As of April 2021, transcripts are available in each episode’s blog post Adam and Eve by Albrecht Dürer

Bluish grey aura