Peter Paul Rubens, Adam and Eve

Before Rubens went to Italy in 1600, Otto van Veen and others taught him the tricks of the trade. The painting of Adam and Eve being superb proof. It is one of the few surviving works by the very young Rubens.

Capture the most famous scene from the Bible on a giant panel as a 20-year-old? Rubens was audacious enough. Although it did require a lot of effort. Among other things, he re-started the face and the left arm several times. The goal? To make it unique. He especially wanted to go against the static characters, cool colours and detailed landscapes of his teacher van Veen. A rebellion on canvas, with more dynamism and tension.

Adam's admonishing gesture in particular is a departure from the style of Rubens' teacher van Veen. It seems as if the first man on earth is pointing out his wife's imminent mistake of biting the apple. With one final hand gesture, he tries to convince her to do the right thing and avoid the Fall. But headstrong Eve doesn't care too much.  

Rubens borrowed the composition from a print by Marcantonio Raimondi after Raphael, but gave it an entirely individual twist. It shows the audacity of the young artist. Although he found it perfectly normal to try to go one better than the artists he admired. After all, that was rule numero uno in Italian art. 

Rubens also wanted more emotion for Eva's facial expression, but her profile remained rather classical. She is leaning against a tree, holding onto a branch with her left hand. With a downcast gaze, she looks at the forbidden apple, somewhat obscured by her right hand. She has clearly already decided what she's going to do with the apple.   

The serpent is slithering above her. The rabbit in front of the pond where we see storks, herons and ducks seems like a peaceful addition to the earthly paradise, but at the time it symbolised love and unchastity. The monkey in the reeds refers to lewdness and vanity. An Amazonian parrot is visible behind Adam's back. A coterie of animals that reinforces the story of Adam and Eve.  

Animal symbolism was also a legacy from van Veen. Although Rubens himself was also a master storyteller. And his grand journey to Italy was still to come. His ideas matured for eight years in the Italian sun, against the backdrop of classical antiquity and Renaissance art. Longer than most of his colleagues, and with a lasting impact on his work.