HELMI JUVONEN : SYMBOL, MYTH, FANTASY
ID#:
2009.0050.000013
Description:
Untitled (Adam and Eve), 1955—1959
Tempera on paper
Gift of Ron Kellen, 2009.50.13

This painting belongs to a series of works by Helmi on the subject of Adam and Eve. In contrast to the painting displayed nearby, the artist includes a long snake that envelops the couple in a compositional cocoon.

The protagonists faces, rimmed by fur, perhaps reference Alaskan Yu'pik or Inupiaq masks. The arrow, pointing from Eve's face to Adam's rib, humorously references the biblical story of the creation of woman.
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