ThirstyFish

Artist: Michael Webb, 2003


Please read the two posts introducing the Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program and The Mural Mile before you follow the photo tour. You can also begin the tour with the First Mural.

The small, resized photo does not do this mural justice. The tree has "fruits" made up of tools of knowledge: abacus, book, horn, sextant, scale, lamp, key, ruler etc.

The Tree of the Knowledge in this mural is not meant to be The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (a.k.a. Tree of Consciousness) of the Book of Genesis. According to the Biblical story, God forbade Adam and Eve from eating the fruit of this tree. But, tempted by a serpent, first Eve, then Adam ended up eating the forbidden fruit. As punishment, they were denied access to the Garden of Eden and prevented from eating from The Tree of Life which would have bestowed immortality onto them... Instead of immortality, we are stuck with a consciousness, having to distinguish between good and evil, and are assured that we will suffer. But depending on who you ask, we might become immortal after we die?