When the sexual allure of the transformative feminine threatens rather than enhances conscious control, the youthful female figure becomes a seductress who weakens rationality and negatively transforms the ego/hero. Eve, for example, persuades Adam to eat the apple and therefore is portrayed as ultimately responsible for their expulsion from Paradise. The sexual component of her “persuasion” is clearly illustrated in the following painting, since her body, with a swelling belly suggesting pregnancy and a fig leaf calling attention to her genitals, is the center and focus of the image.

detail of “Fall and Redemption” by H. Van der Goes, 15th century; Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum

marble relief of archangel expelling Adam and Eve from Paradise; Siena Duomo

“Sin,” by Franz van Stuck, c. 1912; Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie

See this comparison of two portraits of Venus for an illustration of the differing emphases in the depiction of sexuality within positive and negative transformative feminine symbolism.

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