Adam and Eve 

Jacob Jordaens painted this image of Adam and Eve, probably sometime in the 1600s, and we can see how artistic and religious institutions shaped its message. As a Flemish Baroque painter, Jordaens was working in a Catholic culture that celebrated the senses and the body. The image shows his distinctive naturalistic style. But his painting also illustrates the cultural norms of 17th-century Europe. The story of Adam and Eve was a central narrative about the origin of sin. It was used to legitimize social hierarchies, like gender roles, and political authority. The serpent’s temptation of Eve, and her subsequent temptation of Adam, symbolized human weakness and the need for divine law. Looking into the history of art and religion helps us understand how artists of the past reflected and commented on the societies around them.