ipl-logo

Michelangelo's The Sistine Chapel

684 Words3 Pages

The Sistine Chapel is one of the most famous art museums in the world, made so by its many famous paintings by renaissance masters like Sandro Botticelli or Pietro Perugino. But by far the most famous artist is Michelangelo Buonarroti. Michelangelo’s best-known biblical events from the book of Genesis paintings are on the chapel ceiling and depict biblical events from the book of Genesis. But one of the ceiling’s nine central panels stands out in frame from all the others. It is hard to find someone in the western world that has not seen or heard of Michelangelo’s “The Creation Of Adam” which god reaches out to give life to the first man. In this study we will discuss and analyze this work of art in an iconographical and formal viewpoint. …show more content…

Much as been written about it’s meaning based on what some perceive as cryptic elements. Was Michelangelo imparting some sort of secret message in coded imagery? One theory is that the red veil framing God and his entourage is intentionally shaped like the human brain and its various parts. Michelangelo, an expert in anatomy is saying, the theory goes, and that god is bestowing the intellect upon Adam. Another theory claim that the shroud is meant to represent the womb and the trailing fabric the umbilical cord which in result gives a sense of paternity and psychological connection between god and his creation. Adam is an everyman, representing all of human kind. His hand reaching out and god’s hand offering forth very simply distills the relationship between creation and creator. Seen in this way the universal gesture might be interpreted as a thanks, for the gift of life. Michelangelo figuratively reached out to god and received the touch of divine inspiration. Michelangelo was a devout Christian believing in a high divine power. The artist therefore elevated God at the highest level in his painting by picturing him as the only full-clothed figure. The contrast between the angels and go’s physical proportion depicts furthermore the power, highness of the

Open Document