Paradise Lost

---

Artist: Beverly Ayling-Smith

Title: Paradise Lost

Attribution: Paradise Lost 2019, Beverly Ayling-Smith

Year: 2019

Materials: cotton, organza, metallic thread, machine thread

Dimensions: 43cm x 94cm

Image Statement: According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve, tempted by the serpent, ate fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and were banished from Eden. Drawing on imagery from traditional Toile de Jouy prints of an idyllic countryside, this work explores three moments in the story: before the serpent tempted Eve; the moment of temptation and the loss of Paradise. All three parts of the triptych have been layered with an excerpt from John Milton’s seminal work ‘Paradise Lost’. This section of his work on The Fall, published in 1667, deals specifically with how the banishment from the Garden of Eden and loss of Paradise came about and describes its consequences for the future of man and of women.