And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Genesis 3, 6-7, KJV)
In this foundational narrative from the Hebrew Scriptures, our primal paradise is lost when the first humans violate the divine order in the Garden of Eden by eating forbidden fruit. This multi-layered narrative, used to justify male patriarchy and link human sexuality to the transmission of "original sin," has inspired artistic depictions ranging from comic parodies to pornography. Hispano Artist Johnny Salas lampoons the borderline of eroticism of much popular sacred art on the theme in a kitschy shadowbox, where a beautifully modelled, lily-white Adam and Eve cover their private parts with glittered-decked fig leaves and an apple from the tabooed tree gives us a wordly-wise wink. This new piece from the self-described maker of "spiritual eye candy" can be found on the Johnny Salas profile page in the Sacred Artists section. (John Kohan)