The Sistine Chapel, home to the pope, posseses one of Michelangelo's greatest works of art. The ceiling depicts the entire book of Genesis. Five of them are the creation stories. I chose my favorite, The Creation of Adam, to post in the blog. Michelangelo's organization is considered the most complex composition in Western art. The Creation of Adam is the most sublime scene, in which humanity obtains picture form. Supposedly, Michelangelo experiences the stages of creation within himself through religion and art. The hand and fingers of God gingerly touch Adam's, creating a sense of love. The "cosmic egg" represents the eternal, and Adam is an incomplete ellipse. Through the extended arms, love radiates throughout the picture. God intends Adam to be no less than himself. The spirits holding God on their wings confirm this. The beatific picture does not contain Eve.
What struck me most about this picture, was the very plain, human form of God. Nonetheless, he is clothed and Adam is not. Obviously, this is before Adam eats the forbidden fruit. So, although God considers Adam no less than himself, Adam has not gained all knowledge and angered God yet. This is why God looks tenderly at Adam still. I also noticed the angels wings are not present. They are there in theory. Lastly, the bodies are somewhat unrealistic. Adam's arms are close to the lenth of his legs. His head is very small, and his body is very muscular. All things aside, I found this picture inspiring, that the colors are so soft, but the message is still strongly present.
I always felt that the most disturbing part of this scene is the fact that God's finger does not actually touch Adam's. They are, therefore, separate. This iconic image has created a mindset about God's separation from man that has lasted to the present and that I find frightening. Perhaps that separation is just in our minds, part of our ego, which keeps us feeling so utterly alone in the universe.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what the precious commenter said. It always really frustrated me knowing that God and Adam's fingers never touched. I guess that I am lead to believe that God and Adam (humanity in essence) were never really connected in a sense. I also notice that, it looks as if God is trying desperately to reach Adam's finger to no avail, while Adam is just sitting lazily not even really attempting to make the connection with God. This makes me wonder whether or not Adam was really in connection with God from the start. Clearly the Bible indicates that there was some type of communion between God and Adam, and that everything was perfect, but this picture leads me to believe otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI love how in the picture, God and the angels are depicted in such a manner that the shape of the mass of them resembles a brain. Ha, brain...knowledge...God...get it? Well Michaelangelo couldn't have known this but, it's still fun to think about. I also have always wondered if this was right before they touched fingers, or right after their fingers separated. In Genesis it seems that God was present in the Garden of Eden, making me think that this painting was Him separating Himself from Adam because of his transgression. And even though He is leaving, He is straining to stay connected.
ReplyDeleteI must say, first and foremost, that this is one of my favorite depicted images of God. However, it does leave me wondering about our role as the created...More often than not, I look at the space between those hands and feel as if there is a desperation between both beings in finding the other. However, once I take a glance at Adam and at God, I realize and wonder, "Is it God that is always willing to put more effort into reaching humanity than humanity is towards reaching him?" The way Adam is sitting, the way his hand differs from God's, I feel as if God is the one willing to put for more effort in having a relationship with his creation. However, I would like to bring up the fact that you mentioned ,"God considers Adam no less than himself," is somewhat confusing and makes me question creation and the state of God. I do believe God loved Adam; however, if God, the ultimate source of goodness and perfection, saw Adam no less than himself then would God not then allow/ create Adam with all knowledge? Why would he create a temptation such as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
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