Adam and Eve (Paradise)
by HOFMANN, Ludwig von, Oil over black pen on cardboard, 45 x 45 cm
The painting was probably made during Hofmann’s stay in Italy. The subject of Arcadian nature represents a typical motif in Hofmann’s oeuvre. With the two figures in the foreground and the fruit, Hofmann alluded to paradise and Adam and Eve motifs, which the artist repeated in paintings, pastels and drawings, especially in his early work in the 1890s, and processed them in a very varied manner.
The two-dimensional application of paint, the reducing forms, as well as the linear and ornamental stylization are also typical of Hofmann’s works of the 1890s and prove Hofmann’s exploration of French art. The influence of Puvis de Chavannes can be seen in the picture.