Artist Edgar Tolson (1904 - 1984)

Temptation

Date1971

MediumPine

DimensionsOverall: 16 3/8 × 15 × 3/4 in. (41.6 × 38.1 × 1.9 cm)

Object numberN0159.1971

Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Museum Purchase

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextEdgar Tolson was an ex-preacher, hard drinker and resident philosopher of Campton, Kentucky. He quit preaching when he realized he could not live by God’s laws. Artistically, he is noted for his austere, stoic Biblical carvings and for themes that deal with the conflict between predestination and free will. In the story of Adam and Eve, Tolson focuses on the underlying sense of tragedy and the helplessness of humankind to overcome its flaws.

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