Eve and the Apple

Although I have shot a few images based on the Garden of Eden, Eve, Adam, and the apple, the extent of this series was greatly increased when Cora Ramirez-Vasquez of Galley Azul saw my image “Eve” from my “Boxed” series at Flazh!Alley Studio and asked if I would participate in the show she was organizing (She also purchased one of my images from the “Boxed” series as well, but not “Eve”). I sent her 2 images immediately of which she accepted one of my infrared images which is part of my “Infrared Portraits at 180 Degrees” series.

Cora’s requirements were:

“For this year’s tribute to women, we are asking artist to challenge the negative association and archetype of the Woman and the Apple. All pieces must have an image of a woman and of an apple. The idea is to remove the association to Eve who tempts Adam with the apple from its negative view of the women being the temptress, the destroyer of Eden, etc., and reframe this idea/concept into a more positive light. Also consider the positive achieved by this temptation. Have fun with this idea, be bold, and think of metaphors involved, and how they relate to today’s events and issues.”

As Joe Flazh commented that Cora liked my “Eve” image but that it lacked the apple, I photographed several apples. I still had the box used to create “Eve” (Carol Ballard was the wonderful model used for “Eve”). An apple was suspended in the approximate location of where Carol’s left breast was positioned, chosen for the snake tattoo, mouth agape, fangs ready to puncture her areola. This apple was then modified and placed to cover her areola and appear as a tattoo for the snake to bite. Other apples were also photographed as well at the bottom of the box: whole, bitten, and sliced (horizontal to get a pentagram from the seeds and core).

Google is a wonderful tool. Researching Adam and Eve, I discovered that in “Jewish folklore, from the 8th–10th Century Alphabet of Ben Sira onwards Lilith becomes Adam's first wife”. God created Lilith (Now I understand Lilith’s character from “Cheers” and the Frazer TV series!). The problem for Adam was that Lilith was an independent thinker and not one to be subservient to Adam. But Adam was insecure and needed someone to allow him to be master. So, Lilith was banished from the Garden only to return later as evil, while Adam removed his rib to create Eve. As Eve was of Adam’s flesh, she was subservient to Adam. Okay, the preceding was very simplified, but it gets my point across for the images I created for “Eve and the Apple”

This series uses Lilith as the temptress to Eve biting the apple of knowledge leading to the human race being expunged from Eden. Another is the insecure Adam (played brilliantly by Tony S as the dwarf and Wendy Guelker as a pissed off Eve, where Adam is removing another rib as Eve the First refuses to be subservient as well. And, as men mature slower than women (although many women say “never”), we have Eve trying to get Adam to grow-up where the Twinkie is used to represent childhood and the apple maturity as well as knowledge. But Eve fails, only getting Adam to replace the Twinkie with the apple as his new toy, but also being subservient to Eve, trying to impress her with his physical skills. And, had to have Eve’s Twinkie become her phallic symbol for her maturity (which was actually created and positioned by Blue when her character Eve matured to the apple.)

RLSFoto^® - Reidar Schopp Fine Art Photography, Los Angeles, California - Phone: 310-345-3764, Email: reidar@rlsfoto.com