Adam and Eve in Paradise

Francesco Solimena's Adam and Eve in Paradise, painted around 1700, represents the leading Neapolitan Baroque painter at the height of his powers. Solimena dominated artistic life in Naples for over half a century, training numerous pupils and influencing painting across southern Europe. This Old Testament subject allowed him to display his gift for dynamic figural composition and lush, theatrical color.

Solimena's grand Baroque manner is evident in the sweeping diagonal composition and rich, warm palette. The figures are modeled with confident, fluid brushwork, combining the dramatic lighting of his predecessors Luca Giordano and Mattia Preti with a more polished, classicizing elegance.