Nicholas Lochoff (d.1948) after

Masolino (Florentine, c.1400-144017)
TEMPTATION OF ADAM AND EVE

Original (probably 1425) in the Brancacci Chapel, Sta. Maria del Carmine, Florence Fresco

The mood of this fresco contrasts with that of the traumatic Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise by Masaccio from the same chapel. The two painters collaborated on the Brancacci Chapel, where each apparently showed his own temperament and style. Masolino painted a gentle world in the non-sculptural style of medieval illuminations and older altarpieces. His nudes are placid, as befit Adam and Eve in Paradise. Even the human face on the serpent has the sweetness that characterizes Masolino's work. The originals of his and Masaccio's paintings were restored in the 1980s and the leafy additions seen here were removed because scientific tests demonstrated that they were not part of the originals. Because they recall the frescoes' former state, these copies have gained importance as historic documents.

Text by Robert Gerwing.
Copyright 2004.