Adam and Eve with the Serpent (Fall of Man)

Hans Baldung Grien’s representation of humanity’s loss of innocence is loosely based on Dürer’s woodcut of the same subject. He models his deceptive serpent on Dürer’s crested creature and relies on a dense tree line to propel his figures to the foreground. Instead of portraying the figures in a tight embrace, indicating equal responsibility, Baldung Grien separates the two figures. Eve turns slightly toward the viewer, actively reaching out to grasp the apple, while Adam stands passively to the side.