Zondeval, en verdrijving uit het paradijs 1722 - 1784

Simon Fokke created this engraving, *The Fall and Expulsion from Paradise,* sometime in the 18th century. The composition is divided into two distinct scenes, each framed within a rectangle. The upper scene depicts the temptation, rendered with a delicate interplay of light and shadow. The figures of Adam and Eve are positioned under a tree, its branches forming a canopy that both shelters and entraps them. Fokke employs a visual language rooted in the semiotics of his time. The serpent, coiled around the tree, acts as a signifier of deceit, while the offered fruit symbolizes forbidden knowledge. The act of eating from it represents a transgression that destabilizes the established order, leading to the subsequent expulsion. This is what we see in the lower panel, full of violent, diagonal movement and a figure in the sky holding a sword. Ultimately, this engraving’s enduring power lies in its formal capacity to convey complex theological and philosophical concepts through a structured visual narrative. It remains a potent symbol of humanity's fall from grace, a visual discourse on the nature of knowledge, obedience, and the consequences of our choices.