Adam and Eve (The Fall of Man)

Adam and Eve at the moment of the Fall offered Stom an opportunity to paint the nude figure—unusual in his predominantly draped biblical scenes. This late work from around 1650 shows the Dutch-born, Italian-based painter treating a subject more commonly associated with Northern Renaissance tradition. The pairing of male and female nudes in dramatic lighting demonstrated mastery of the most fundamental challenge in figurative painting. Stom's biblical subjects demonstrate the enduring vitality of the Caravaggist tradition in Sicily long after it had faded elsewhere in Europe.

Side-lighting sculpts the two figures against deep darkness, emphasizing anatomical modeling. The forbidden fruit and the serpent occupy the brightest zone, drawing the eye to the moment of transgression.