Artwork
The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise
The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise is an oil painting by the Neoclassicist artist Benjamin West. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The religious genre designation underscores its function as a meditation on the doctrine of original sin and the human condition after the fall.
The painting depicts the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, a foundational episode drawn from the Book of Genesis. According to the source catalogue, the work portrays Adam and Eve alongside an angel and the biblical serpent, staging the moment when the first couple is driven from Eden following the transgression. The angel functions as the agent of divine judgment, enforcing the consequence of the fall, while the serpent alludes to the tempter whose role in the narrative explains the origin of human sin and mortality.
By concentrating on this expulsion rather than the temptation or the creation, the painting isolates the transition from innocence to exile, emphasizing loss, vulnerability, and the entry of humanity into a world separated from paradise. The religious genre designation underscores its function as a meditation on the doctrine of original sin and the human condition after the fall.
Technique & Style
Benjamin West executed The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise in 1791 using oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 48.6 cm in height and 72.9 cm in width. As a religious painting, the piece utilizes the oil medium to depict the biblical narrative of the expulsion, featuring Adam, Eve, an angel, and a serpent.
The composition focuses on the dramatic moment of the couple's removal from Eden, rendered in the artist's characteristic style for historical and scriptural subjects of the late eighteenth century.
History & Provenance
Benjamin West painted The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise in 1791, an oil on canvas work measuring 48.6 by 72.9 centimeters, initially created as a study for a larger composition. The painting entered the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it has remained since its acquisition, establishing a continuous ownership chain from its creation to the present. Its religious subject matter aligns with West's genre of biblical scenes, reflecting the thematic focus of his early career.
The work was completed in the late 18th century, corresponding to the artist's active period in religious painting before his prominence in historical subjects. The painting's provenance is documented through its inclusion in the Art Institute's collection, confirming its sustained institutional custody since inception.
Benjamin West's 1791 oil painting, The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The work was accessioned by the museum in 1984 under the inventory number 1984.175. It depicts the biblical scene of Adam and Eve being driven from Eden by an angel.
While the painting is part of the permanent collection, the provided sources do not list specific exhibition history or past loan records for this work.
Overview
Benjamin West’s 1796 oil painting, The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, portrays the biblical moment when the first humans are driven from Eden. The composition centers on a sorrowful Adam and a kneeling Eve, overseen by an angel whose outstretched arm emphasizes their forced departure. Dark, turbulent clouds dominate the sky, while a serpent coils near the couple’s feet, underscoring the narrative’s tragic tone.
Context
West, an American expatriate who settled in London, produced the piece during a time when neoclassicism dominated academic art, favoring moralizing subjects drawn from antiquity and scripture. The depiction aligns with contemporary Enlightenment interests in rational composition and didactic storytelling, while also resonating with the British court’s preference for works that reinforced moral and religious values through historicized visual narratives.
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Artist
Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was an American-born British painter who specialised in history painting, creating such works as The Death of Nelson, The Death of General Wolfe, the Treaty of Paris,…
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