Brancacci Chapel, Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence
Masaccio's fresco "Exile" conveys not just a biblical episode, but a painful transition from a previous, good state to a world where everything has become more difficult. In the center of the composition are the exiled Adam and Eve: their poses are full of embarrassment and confusion. The moment is shown as an instant in which there is no longer any possibility of “undoing” what happened: the bodies seem to react to cold reality - the steps are timid, the movements are not yet fully understood, but the feelings are clearly readable.
Expressiveness is enhanced by the way Masaccio works with perspective and volume of figures. The ground underfoot feels heavy, and clothes and bodies seem to be inscribed in space, and not just “laid out” on a plane. A distance appears between the characters and what is happening around them: exile does not look like a theatrical punishment, it rather looks like an inevitable outcome.
The figure of the angel (or the one who performs the exile) sets the direction of the action - like a push towards the outside world. Overall, the fresco is perceived as a tragedy of loss, where the main thing is human weakness, shame and awareness of the consequences.
This picture in my eyes depicts a cliche about social realities where the angle seems to be the moral police providing a frame of action while the picture of Adam and Eve seems like the very innate emotions which are raw and naked to human kind and are often subjugated to the conformity principle.
