Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Renaissance fresco in Brancacci Chapel, Florence, Italy
Expulsion from the Garden of Eden is a fresco in the Brancacci Chapel that depicts Adam and Eve leaving Paradise with anatomical precision and visible anguish. The work spans roughly 6 feet (2 meters) tall and 3 feet (nearly 1 meter) wide on the chapel wall.
The fresco was created in the 1420s as part of a larger series for a wealthy Florentine patron. It marks an important moment when artists began painting the human body with new scientific precision instead of the older medieval style.
The painting shows human bodies in a way that surprised viewers in the 1400s, with realistic flesh tones and natural proportions instead of stylized forms. Visitors can see how these choices convey raw emotion and make the scene feel immediate and human.
The fresco is located in the upper section of the chapel wall and is clearly visible from below. Visitors should know that the chapel sits within the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, where quiet and respectful behavior is expected.
For centuries, the naked figures were covered with painted fig leaves, a change that persisted through generations. A major restoration in the 1990s uncovered the original work and revealed just how bold the artistic vision actually was.
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