Adam and Eve 

Author: María Izquierdo

Name: Adam and Eve (Adán y Eva)

Date: 1945

Material: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 11.42 × 18.90 inches.

Location: National Museum of Art (Museo Nacional de Arte), INBAL, Mexico City, Mexico

Provenance: Donated by María Asúnsolo, 1988

In Adam and Eve (Adán y Eva, 1945) by María Izquierdo offers a unique, folkloric take on the biblical story of creation, blending Catholic iconography with Mexican folk art elements. This theme of creation was a prevalent subject among Mexican muralists of her time, most notably in Diego Rivera’s The Creation (1922), which portrayed the birth of a new, post-revolutionary Mexican society on an epic scale. Unlike Rivera’s grand mural, symbolizing national rebirth and collective identity, Izquierdo’s Adam and Eve is intimate and imbued with personal, cultural symbolism, bringing the biblical tale into a more localized, everyday context.

In Adam and Eve, Izquierdo reimagines the first humans as small, doll-like figures with simple, almost naive features, standing beside a vibrant, cactus-like Tree of Knowledge entwined with a serpent. This colorful, stylized tree hints at traditional Mexican folk depictions that mix natural and supernatural elements. Surrounding Adam and Eve are symbolic objects like white doves, representing peace and purity, and a decorative, poultry-shaped vessel. Angelic figures hover in the background, evoking ceremonial statues or figures one might find on a traditional Mexican altar, transforming the scene into something reminiscent of a ritual offering rather than a distant biblical narrative.

Unlike her later Adam and Eve (1946), where the couple is depicted in a more solemn, mystical light, the 1945 version embraces the playful and decorative elements of folk art. By reimagining the creation story through everyday objects and cultural symbols, Izquierdo grounds the narrative in her own heritage, suggesting a view of spirituality that connects the biblical with the folk, the divine with the ordinary.