“Adam and Eve” is an artwork created by Fernand Léger between the years 1935 and 1939. This painting belongs to the Purism movement and is classified as a religious painting. It is currently housed at the Musée National Fernand Léger in Biot, France. The artwork illustrates the biblical figures Adam and Eve in a stylized form characteristic of Léger’s approach, featuring bold, simplified shapes and a limited color palette that emphasizes the geometric and symbolic aspects of the composition.
The artwork depicts Adam and Eve standing closely together, their figures rendered with robust, block-like forms. Adam, adorned with striped shorts, wields a staff around which a serpent coils, signifying the biblical serpent. Eve, beside him, is shown with long, flowing hair and both figures exhibit an impassive, stoic expression. The background is dotted with abstract forms and elements, including plants and geometric structures, contributing to a modernist and somewhat surreal interpretation of the religious theme. The colors used are earthy tones punctuated by vivid hues of blue, yellow, and red, which lend the composition a sense of vitality and resonance. The presence of flowers and abstract shapes adds a theatrical dimension, highlighting Léger’s unique artistic lexicon.
