Cranach addressed many times to the theme of the ancestor’s image. As a rule, his ancestors are depicted in the garden of Eden and the moment of the fall is sealed – Eve tears the apple from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil and offers it to Adam.
It seems that in this composition Cranach seeks to imitate Durer, but the impression of his diptych is quite different. Durer’s goal was to find the right proportions and convincingly depict the naked body. Cranes, however, tend not so much to anatomical certainty as to the expression of refined, intellectual eroticism. The elongated figures of Adam and Eve stand out clearly against a dark background, their poses are not devoid of theatricality, and gestures are deliberately accented.
Creating such images, Cranach appears already as a harbinger of Mannerism. Particularly palpable manieristic notes in the late Cranach’s “Venus”, which, being popular among the nobility, were widely replicated by the artist’s studio.
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