Human Made Paradise

During the late Middle Ages, burgeoning geographical knowledge led to a disjunction between the mapped topography of the Earth’s surface and the Christian worldview. Along with Heaven and Hell, Paradise was now deprived of its terrestrial abode. Remaining nonetheless was a yearning for images of paradise. And nature often played a pivotal role in their invention. Roelant Savery conjures Paradise as it existed just before the biblical Fall of Man, positioning Adam, Eve, and the serpent at the center of the painting. Apart from the first couple, surrounded by superabundant animal life in a lush setting, the image is devoid of people: living here together with no sense of contradiction – and in total disregard of climate differences – is an ostrich, a camel, and a parrot, along with a dog, a stag, a cow – and a unicorn! How can we best live in harmony with nature?