The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise by Giovanni di Paolo

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The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise
Source: MET Museum
I was looking at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art website the other day, and I stumbled upon a beautiful example of medieval art: The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise by Giovanni di Paolo.

Medieval art is endlessly interesting to me. In many ways, Medieval art feels very modern. It tends to be abstract, capturing a psychological and spiritual world that has nothing to do with physical reality. Medieval art often has a visionary quality, capturing an otherworldly, timeless aura.

As the title of this piece suggests, the painting depicts the creation of the world and Adam and Eve’s expulsion from paradise. These Biblical scenes come from the book of Genesis, and the painting was originally part of an altarpiece that was housed in the Italian city of Siena. The artist has chosen a unique way to depict the creation of the world. Here, we see God the father surrounded by blue angels rolling a large disc that represents the cosmos. According to my research, “the universe is shown as a celestial globe, with the earth at the center surrounded by a series of concentric circles representing first the four elements, the known planets,... and finally the constellations of the zodiac.” It is a fascinating vision of the universe, one that is literally contained within the hands of the creator.

To the right, we see Adam and Eve being ushered out of Paradise by an angel. In typical Medieval fashion, there is little visual separation between two separate narrative events. In Medieval art, it is common to see an entire story told in one panel of painting. It is a dynamic, fluid variety of storytelling that allows the viewer to make connections between different events.

Although the painting itself is beautiful, it is the creativity and originality of the artist that truly makes the piece memorable to me. The multitude and variety of all the wonderful pieces of art in the world never ceases to amaze me.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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