Joseph Lindon Smith (Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 1863 - 1950, Dublin, New Hampshire)
Adam and Eve, Doge's Palace, Venice, about 1894
Watercolor on paper , 9.8 x 3.5 cm (3 7/8 x 1 3/8 in.)
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This watercolor is done on paper in muted shades of black, green, dark blue, tan and white. It depicts two figures, identified as Adam and Eve, standing on either side of a twisted tree trunk. The light source is to our right, therefore the figure to our right, Eve, is illuminated and the figure to our left, Adam, is in shadow. Eve is a light skinned nude with her light colored hair parted in the middle. She stands with her feet firmly planted on the ground and her arm to our right is bent at her waist. Her other arm is not visible behind the tree. Adam is indistinctly painted as he stands in the shadows. Both appear to be looking directly outward at the viewer with their mouths slightly open. There are blotches of blue ink throughout.
Spanish Chapel
Commentary
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