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Adam and Eve

Francesco Albani

  • Adam and Eve 2
  • Adam and Eve 3
Basic information
ID
Ж-623
Author
Francesco Albani
Name
Adam and Eve
Country
Italy
Technique
oil painting
Material
duplicated canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
44.3 x 32.2
Additionally
Type
painting
Genre
religious
Provenance
Collection of Lviv City Gallery
Exposition
Potocki Palace
Information about author
Author
Francesco Albani
Artist's lifetime
1578–1660
Country
Italy
Biography
Francesco Albani (17 March 1578, Bologna – 4 October 1660, Bologna) was one of the Italian painters of the 17th century who studied in the Carracci studio. He assisted Guido Reni with several large decorative cycles, including the Annunciation Chapel in the Quirinal Palace (1609–1612) and the choir in Santa Maria della Pace (1612–1614). Albani lived in Rome for several years, where he established his academy. Following Annibale Carracci's designs, he painted frescoes in the San Diego Chapel in the Church of San Giacomo Degli Spagnoli. He also collaborated with Carracci on the lunettes designed for the chapel of the Roman Palazzo Pietro Aldobrandini (now part of the Doria Pamphili Palace). Due to Carracci's illness and death, Albani took over many of the landscapes, including the "Landscape with the Assumption" (c. 1604), completing them in the Bolognese style of carefully composed landscapes, which evoke a sense of solemnity, balance, and seriousness. His famous frescoes depict mythological themes, such as the "Dance of the Amorini" (c. 1625).
Object description
The painting by the Italian artist Francesco Albani reproduces a famous Old Testament scene – the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.
In the centre of the composition, against a backdrop of spreading trees, stands Eve, covering her breast with her hands clasped in a suppliant gesture. Her head is raised upwards, and an expression of deep despair and repentance is frozen on her face. Her long golden-brown hair cascades over her shoulders. To her left is Adam, who has turned his head completely towards the angel in the background. Stunned and bewildered, he leans forward and falls to his knees at Eve's feet. Both are struck by the appearance of a formidable divine messenger in the sky.
The angel, called upon to expel the first humans from Paradise, is depicted on a large, pale cloud in the upper left corner. His figure is full of swift movement, with his red and pink robes billowing in the wind. Above his head, he brandishes a flaming sword, commanding the sinners to leave the Garden of Eden.
 
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

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