The Expulsion from Paradise, from "The Small Passion"

Art Historical Context

Albrecht Dürer's *The Expulsion from Paradise created in 1510, is a poignant woodcut from his renowned series *The Small Passion a set of 37 prints depicting key scenes from the Life of Christ and biblical narratives. This intimate image (5 x 3 7/8 inches) captures the dramatic moment from Genesis when Adam and Eve driven from the Garden of Eden by a angel wielding a flaming sword. Dürer, the masterful German artist of the Northern Renaissance, infuses the scene with raw emotion—Eve's despairing gesture, Adam's slumped posture, and the angel's authoritative presence—drawing viewers into humanity's original fall from grace. As a woodcut, the print exemplifies Dürer's revolutionary printmaking prowess. He carved intricate details into wooden blocks, allowing for fine lines and textures that rivaled more precise engravings, making religious art accessible to a wide audience through affordable reproductions. This technique was pivotal during the early 16th century, as the printing press democratized imagery amid rising literacy and Reformation fervor. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Mrs. George Khuner, 1975), this work highlights Dürer's blend of Gothic expressiveness and Renaissance humanism, influencing generations of artists and underscoring themes of sin, redemption, and divine judgment that resonated deeply in his era.

About the Artist

Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...