Adam and Eve finding Abel's body

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Composition de 3 personnages nus dans un paysage de montagne. Un homme gît sur le sol, une femme rousse agenouillée et un homme observant le gisant.
Adam et Eve trouvant le corps d'Abel, HENNER Jean-Jacques (Bernwiller, 1829 - Paris, 1905) 1858, peinture à l'huile, Paris © école Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts © Jean-Yves Lacote
Un homme debout, choqué, observe par terre, la main droite portée à la tête.
Adam et Eve trouvant le corps d'Abel, HENNER Jean-Jacques (Bernwiller, 1829 - Paris, 1905) 1858, peinture à l'huile, Paris © Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt
Une femme rousse agenouillée, les mains jointes.
Adam et Eve trouvant le corps d'Abel, HENNER Jean-Jacques (Bernwiller, 1829 - Paris, 1905) 1858, peinture à l'huile, Paris © Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt

In 1858, after two unsuccessful attempts, Henner won the Grand Prix de Rome for painting with Adam and Eve finding the body of Abel. The competition subject was inspired by Genesis: Adam and Eve discover the lifeless body of their son Abel, killed by his own brother Cain. Pleased that the subject did not require extensive historical reconstruction, Henner wrote to his former teacher Charles Goutzwiller:

As for me, I couldn't have chosen a subject more suited to my nature, which doesn't mean I'm turning it into a masterpiece.

Jean-Jacques Henner to his former teacher Charles Goutzwiller

Artists

Jean-Jacques Henner

Materials and techniques

Oil on cardboard

Origin and date

1858

Size

147 cm x 113 cm

Keywords :