As I intend on taking the iconic imagery from the Garden of Eden I researched directly from the bible. While I had known the gist of the story with Adam and Eve, I was unfamiliar with how Lilith engaged with them until doing research. I also thought about how similar the story of the Garden of Eden was much Greek myths, which I was very familiar with. The concept of a higher power coming down and meddling with humans seems to occur in almost every Greek myth, and myths of other cultures. I like the connotation, but I still can’t seem to find why I’ve placed these characters from my sketchbook project into this space. I have always been interested in adapting religious imagery, but it seems like it had only been for aesthetic value when I had used it in the past. I want the piece which is created through this project to use the imagery in a meaningful way. An artist which I had referenced in my research was the British artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, specifically for his piece Lady Lilith from 1867.
I felt that this image perfectly summed up the beauty of Lilith and the story behind her rebellion from Adam. I think that the “Lilith” of the three characters which had been part of my sketchbook project exemplifies the role. Another artist that I looked at was the Netherlandish Hieronymus Bosch, who painted The Garden of Earthly Delights between 1490 and 1510.
The piece itself shows both serene beauty, and surreal horror. The balance between the two reminded me how these characters would look places on such an infamously sin-free garden. An artist which had also inspired my at the time of thinking about what vantage point to execute this project at was Caroline Polachek. Polachek is not a fine artist, but rather a vocalist who has come out with visually striking music videos that showcase aspects of an Eden-esque world.
The typeface and branding she has been using for her debut album is both Celtic and Medieval feeling, whilst also feeling very modern. I was inspired by all these artists to translate the timeless image of Eden and add some modernity and peculiarity to it.
https://philipsmurthymythcomparison.weebly.com/comparison.html
https://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-religions/eden-there-was-hesperides-ancient-greek-religious-art-presents-different-021562
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337500
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sothebys.com/en/videos/hieronymus-bosch-the-garden-of-earthly-delights%3f_amp=true
https://youtu.be/7w6R4I7I3wA