Learning or transmitting of knowledge - Adam by Michelangelo

The Creation of Adam

Context

This image is a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo around 1511, it is the fourth in a series of panels depicting episodes from Genesis. The artist illustrates the Biblical story from the book of genisis in which 'God the Father' breathes life into Adam, the first man. It is arguably one of the most famous and most appreciated images in the world.

Actual Meaning

There have been several theories put forward about the meaning behind the painting 'The Creation of Adam', it is a highly original composition and many people believe this could be to do with Michelangelo's well-documented expertise in human anatomy. It is said that the background shapes and figures portrayed behind the figure of God appear to be an "anatomically accurate picture of the human brain, including the frontal lobe, opthic chiasm, brain stem, pituitary gland and the major sulci of the cerebrum".

What the piece means to me

I believe that the painting by Michelangelo represents the idea of transmitting of knowledge and that we gain knowledge and skill through learning. According to Genesis 1:27, 'God created man in his own image' and i feel this is symbolised in the image by the similar poses of God and Adam because the positions of God's right leg and Adam's right leg are nearly identical. God's arm is outstretched and i feel this is to show the imparting of the spark of life from his own finger into that of Adam, that he is sharing his great knowledge of the world through this gesture.

Materials used and how they compliment the meaning

I couldn't find any information on what materials were used to create the image but the artist appears to have used oil paints onto panels on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This was a common practice of the time and means a lot of compositions have been lost due to age and deterioration as well as fading because of excessive light. This was a big problem for the creation of Adam which recently had to be restored to its former glory.

Overall Judgement

Overall i find the painting by Michelangelo very interesting and symbolic with the use of positioning to create meanings and portray a message or imparting of knowledge.

My Response

When i was researching the image 'Adam' by Michelangelo I found the idea of God imparting the spark of life and knowledge through a connection between their fingers a very interesting concept. It demenstrated a personal relationship/connection between God and the people on earth. This is why i decied to focus on the area of the hands when creating my response to enhance the symbolisim in the positions. I took a photography of mine and my dads hands in a similar shape to the ones in the painting, i then cut the shapes out individual and placed them on the background I had created. I added a filter layer over the top to add a feeling of the supernatural to the composition and i am pleased with how this has turned out.