General Information: Adam and Eve by Rachel Feinstein in 2007

This sculpture of Adam and Eve highlights an underlying premise: feminism through religious lens. The artwork itself is very mesmerizing, utilizing stained wood to depict a literal tree, with its canopy seamlessly transitioning from nature to human life. The fluid nature of the wood connects the set pieces of this sculpture from top to bottom, adding an appealing aesthetic to the eye. This is achieved by the relatively abstract artistic style used to depict this loose mimesis of the Adam and Eve in the Bible. However, while the physical form of this wooden art piece is breathtaking, the real takeaway lies within its concept. The medium of stained wood serves to contextualize this. Even at the dawn of humankind, in a time when marble or steel did not exist, in a time where trees graced the land amongst nature, men were implied superior to women.

In a traditional biblical reading, Adam is the first man and Eve is the first woman. However, gender biases are clearly distinguished within the Bible. This ranges from Eve being the direct cause of the fall of the Garden of Eden to Eve being the second to be formed–created from the rib of Adam. Feinstein depicts an Adam and Eve on equal standing, with their bodies intertwined to represent this equality. Although the notion of being created from a rib of Adam can be seen as symbolic of their relationship as companions, with Eve literally made to be at Adam’s side eternally, this concept can also imply that Eve herself is not a “whole” person, designated to be a part of Adam and reliant on him since he was the catalyst for the creation of her being. Having Adam and Eve intertwined more clearly demonstrates their equal status as humans while maintaining their companionship. Furthermore, Eve serves as the main focus of the overall sculpture, evident in her position at the center and her direct link to the nature that surrounds them. This linkage to her surrounding coupled with her prominent placement could also suggest that the equality of man and woman as a right is only natural, about as natural as the tree above them.

The combination of this sculpture pushing for women equality and Rachel Feinstein’s status as a woman artist, which is a rarity among artists who portray religious embodiments, pushes this feminist agenda in the art world within a unique platform. She doesn’t push for the type of feminism that has received a negative stigma in recent news, but one advocating for genuine equality for both genders in order to have a world as beautiful and elegant as this sculpture.