The Expulsion from Eden

http://www.pitt.edu/~ulin/Paradise/images/PL12b.jpg

If you click on the above link, you will find William Blake's painting depicting the scene from Book Twelve of Paradise Lost, when Adam and Eve are led out of paradise by the Angel Michael.

I have already written an entire paper on the painting done by Blake that depicts the Eve's temptation by the serpent, but as I was doing further research into Blake's works, this particular painting also caught my eye. Perhaps it is Blake's use of vibrant colors that initially draw me to the painting, but it is the arrangement of the the figures and the extreme detail that keep me staring.

Blake illustrates what appears to me to be the face of God several times through the upper portion of the painting. This entire portion of the painting is also done in oranges and reds, which I automatically associate with fire. When I see this, I feel that Blake is making you feel that God is either metaphorically of literally burning paradise since Adam and Eve can no longer dwell there. It seems as though Blake is further driving in the point that Adam and Eve will never be able to return to paradise again because it has been thoroughly destroyed.

Another thing about the painting that draws my attention is the way that Adam and Eve are looking to the serpent on the ground as they are led out of Eden. Both Adam and Eve have their arms raised as though they are questioning the serpent, who is now forced to move on on his belly. They do not seem angry really, just unsure of why the serpent would cause them all this trouble. Furthermore, the way the serpent's tongue flares back at Adam makes me think that the serpent is kind of rubbing it in that even though he has not been entirely victorious, he still feels that he has defeated man in some way.

Lastly, I would like to point out the line of thorns that Adam and Eve must cross when they leave paradise. I feel that the thorns are Blake's final symbol of the fact that Adam and Eve are leaving paradise forever, and the path ahead is not going to be an easy one.

-Sheryl W