Adam and Eve

Vigorous lines, clear and plastic forms and bold presentation are the characteristic features of the two companion-pieces Adam and Eve. The paintings represent the life-size figures of Adam and Eve from the scene of the Fall. They appear to have belonged to a series consisting of four nudes, and it is recorded that in 1641 four paintings by Hans Baldung, representing Adam, Eve, Judith and Venus, found their way from Strasbourg into the possession of a Basel merchant. The full-length Judith, now in the Germanisches Museum in Nuremberg, and the Venus in the Kroller-Muller Museum at Otterlo are panels of the same structure and dimensions as the pictures in Budapest and, since the former is dated 1524, it may be assumed that the whole series, including the two pictures in Budapest, was painted in that year.

The artist created a strong contrast between the figures Adam and Eve. The characteristic marked contours of Adam manisfest the drawing skills of the artist. The paintings show the influence of D�rer.