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C.D indicates the picture „Woman´s Balance“ as a key painting from the cycle „Eve’s Awakening“. Eve holds in each hand an „Apple of Temptation“. She has to decide if to follow the snake and disobey God’s command or not. Eve’s covered eyes are not blindness but a sign of her looking into herself, wanting to listen to her inner voice and feelings and not to temptation from outside. „Yes or No“, and what are the consequences. C.D expresses with this painting, what it is about the old biblical text; the fundamental existence of mankind between „Yes and No“, „obedience and rebellion“, „good or bad“. The legends of biblical text permit a timeless valid statement, namely the truth as interpretation of the existence of mankind. Man lives in a constant situation of decision making, in constant temptation, in contradiction.
C.D paints the symbols of temptation as an enticing beautiful apple. That is ancient tradition in fine arts, the Christian too, but it is wrong! It was not an apple that seduced Eve in paradise. It was a seductive fruit with simply an appealing appearance and tempting. The inner lure of the fruit on the tree in paradise was even more tempting: whoever ate the fruit should gain wisdom! This was the information Eve got from the snake. In the Christian tradition the snake in the tree was wrongly identified as the devil, but Egyptian religion did already identify the snake as a symbol of wisdom and intelligence. For that reason the snake today is the sign of knowledge and healing and is displayed in every pharmacy.
This snake also said to woman, (I quote the excellent translation by Martin Luther): „You will by no means die a death, but God knows; on the day you eat it, your eyes will open and you will be like God and know what is good and evil, and the woman did see that it would be good to eat from the tree, and tempting, because it gave wisdom. She took the fruit and ate and gave her husband, who was with her, also some, and he ate“. (1.Book Moses, chapter 3, verse 4-6)
That was the fall of man! Nothing is as great and desirable as sin is, i.e. to do something that is forbidden, and also when the outcome of sin is so promising. Be like God! To know what is good and evil, also to be the last moral authority! Who would be able to resist such a temptation?
The wife, the women, Eve (the translation for this Hebrew name is: life giving) could not resist, and Adam (translated human) was not able to resist his wife. Does this ring a bell? It is still the same today throughout the world! Nowhere do the principles of men weaken as quickly as when seduced by women. Weakness your name is man!
But we still want to ponder over the obsession with sin. We humans can tolerate anything better than being forbidden something. It makes us feel rejected, curtailed: something is kept from us and we think we are cheated out of life’s essential pleasures. Therefore all our thoughts and endeavours are aimed to avoid and violate or simply negate this ban and so to get hold of the forbidden fruit, and for that we take every risk, even if it means risking ones life.
However, God had emphasized his ban to eat the fruit of the tree of wisdom, of good or evil, by threatening the penalty of death. But this is it! Mankind is not able to tolerate that anybody knows more than him or her. „Knowledge is Power“ then as well as now! The history of the world and our personal life are full of examples of this addiction for power.
When I know just as much as God, I am the most knowledgeable man on earth-not even God is better, but I am his equal, I know the same and we are evenly matched! Then, as a human being I don’t need this God anymore. I don’t depend on him anymore and do not need to obey him. I am my own man, my own woman, completely independent in my decisions, my behaviour, values and standards, I am completely free. Is that not the dream of every human being?
The sin in paradise is only the aim of man for freedom and independence; it is not a moral but a spiritual sin. The craving for freedom and independence in all spheres of life is existential. The sin takes hold of human’s nature because it is an addiction to totally establish oneself. Nobody can withdraw from this addiction because it is accompanied by the joy of knowledge. I find these thoughts to be the explanation of the biblical text about the fall of man, which lead to the loss of paradise; this thought is also reflected in many of C.D.´s paintings.
Eve is naked and also clothed, i.e. the naked human is the one in paradise, and the clothed human is the one after the fall of man. Clothing is protection against intrusive looks and sexual desire by others. Dress is no use before God, for God everyone is naked, with all their good and bad characteristics and deeds.
The apple of temptation is Eve’s head (Cycle: „Eve talking“) C.D. plays with this symbol as she shows temptation in many variations: as a double head to show the strength of temptation in thoughts; as a balancing act between the temptations, as meeting with others to show temptation from outside, in a kiss as sexual temptation in the eaten apple where only the stalk is left as a sign that Eve lost her head; also as an eaten apple which slipped into the belly as a sign of pregnancy. This may refer to God’s punishment for Eve „you shall bear your children in pain“.
By viewing the paintings this interpretation came into my mind. At the same time it struck me that the crossbars of the window in the background were very often only a hint, i.e. they appear like a cross. It can be interpreted as a Christian symbol for the redemption of Jesus, as answer to constant temptation? And of course the request in „Our Father“ of „and lead us not into temptation“ comes to mind.
In my opinion C.D. has achieved to illustrate the deeper human and theological truth. Her paintings give no answers but show directions for the viewer’s thoughts.
Of special interest is the painting „Katharsis“. It is the analysis of devoutness of prayer, the meaning of the picture is attributed to the words of a child’s prayer, according to old protestant pictorial tradition which started with Lucas Cranach the elder – the artists cleansing from the obligation to pray? It is clear how much C.D. is not only „torn apart “ or „tempted“ but is also „searching“.
May these paintings accompany many viewers in their search for inner truth; give them a sense of responsibility to themselves, both in the eyes of other people and also of God.
Graz 2006, Prof. Mag. Ernst-Christian GERHOLD