Fall and Expulsion from Garden of Eden

Michaelangelo's depiction of the serpent wrapped around the Tree of Knowledge highlights its cunning and persuasive nature. Serpents usually symbolize Satan or temptation, and in this case, it also represents Eve's inner doubt as she questions God's command. The serpent is the center of the image, showing it's impact as a temper but also as a part of the environment that Adam and Eve were brought into. Its half-human form alludes to how Eve may have been deceived into trusting it, not seeing its serpentine lower half.

Genesis 3:4-5:

"‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'”

Eve's actions from this verse, as she takes and eats the fruit with Adam, is depicted on the left side of this piece. She is shown reaching out for the apple, symbolizing her falling into tempation and disobeying God. However, Michaelangelo also portrays Adam facing the Serpent, even though the verse only mentions Eve listening to the Serpent. This artistic choice could allude to how Adam was also tempted by the Serpent, implying his complicity in the act was not only due to Eve's influence.

Genesis 3:6

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

An angel is portrayed on the right side, pointing a sword toward Adam and Eve, pushing them away and out of the Garden of Eden. Michelangelo depicts this verse by capturing the angel's commanding stance while focusing on Adam and Eve's sorrow as they are pushed away. Adam and Eve’s postures, slumped and despairing, highlight their shame and the severity of their actions, resulting in mortality. Michaelangelo depiction is accurate, apart from the fact that the sword in not in flames. The angel's gesture with the sword enforces God's judgment and divine authority, making their sin and exile irreversible.

Genesis 3:23-2

"After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."

Michaelangelo perfectly captured Adam and Eve's realization and shame on the right side of this piece. Because sin is in the sexual female body, Eve is pictured covering her genitals and breasts. This gesture references the classical Venus Pudica pose, used by Masaccio in his Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden, where Eve's modesty is conveyed by the covering of her body. The pose symbolizes her vulnerability and the loss of innocence, capturing the moment when she is fully aware of what she has done and the consequences. Adam, on the other hand, is not covering his body, but instead faces away from the angel, pushing his arms outwards. Michaelangelo uses this distinction between Adam and Eve to show how they each reacted to the newfound knowledge of their nakedness, Eve with a more shameful approach, and Adam with a more defensive posture.

Genesis 3:7

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves."

The left side of the painting represents the early stages of the Fall and Expulsion story. Michelangelo captures Adam and Eve in a moment of harmony within the Garden of Eden, before they realize the consequences of their actions. This section of the painting symbolizes the relationship humans had with their environments prior to Adam and Eve's sin that lead to mortality and the shame in nakedness. Michelangelo emphasizes this by depicting them in a relaxed state, unaware that their nakedness will soon become a symbol of sin and that their relationship to God will forever change.

Genesis 2:25

"Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."

Summary

Michelangelo’s depiction of the Fall and Expulsion from Eden closely aligns with the biblical texts capturing the innocence of Adam and Eve before the Fall and their following realization of shame, as told in Genesis 2:25 and Genesis 3:7. However, Michelangelo took creative freedom in certain sections, such as the portrayal of Eve in the Pudica pose, a classical representation of modesty and vulnerability, emphasizing her emotional vulnerability and loss of innocence, which is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. Similarly, Michelangelo adds a layer of complexity to Adam’s reaction by depicting him pushing away from the Garden in a defensive manner, an interpretation not found in the Bible verses. His decision to depict both figures nude deviates from tradition, particularly for a piece in a religious setting like the Sistine Chapel, challenging the more modest style of Renaissance religious art. This may show his alignment with humanist ideals that celebrated human beauty. This choice could also serve as a way to evoke a stronger sense of empathy in viewers. These creative choices reflect the artist’s intention to convey the emotional and physical consequences of sin in a way that resonates deeply with the viewer. By blending creative interpretation with adherence to the biblical story, Michelangelo created a powerful visual narrative that sticks to the religious themes of the Fall while bringing emotional engagement from the viewer, circling back to the complex human experience of sin and redemption.