The Creation of

Adam
By: Group 2
 THE CREATION OF ADAM
Artist Type
Michelangelo Fresco

Year Dimension
280 cm x 570 cm
C. 1508-1512
(9ft 2 inches x 18ft 8
inches)
The Creation of Adam
The Creation of Adam or Creazione
di Adamo in Italian. It is a fresco
 painting by Italian artist 
Michelangelo, which forms part of
the Sistine Chapel's ceiling,
painted c. 1508–1512. It illustrates
the Biblical creation narrative from
the Book of Genesis in which God
 gives life to Adam, the first man.
The fresco is part of a complex
iconographic scheme and is
chronologically the fourth in the
series of panels depicting episodes
from Genesis.
 ARTIST
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
known best as simply Michelangelo, was an 
Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of
the High Renaissance born in the 
Republic of Florence, who exerted an
unparalleled influence on the development of 
Western art. His artistic versatility was of such a
high order that he is often considered a
contender for the title of the archetypal 
March 6, 1475 – February 18,1564
Renaissance man, along with his rival, the
fellow Florentine, Leonardo da Vinci. Several
scholars have described Michelangelo as the
greatest artist of his age and even as the
greatest artist of all time.
 When reading this story in the Bible, many
people have this image of Michelangelo in their
minds. Michelangelo painted this fresco near
the end of his work on the ceiling, which
contains, among other things, nine scenes from
the book of Genesis. However, the Creation of
Adam has become the most memorable part of
the series of frescos on the ceiling.
Sistine
Chapel’s
Ceiling
Description of the Painting

On the right hand side of the fresco, God is surrounded

by several figures and floats above the ground against a
backdrop of a red robe. God extends his hand towards
Adam's outstretched hand, and their fingers almost
touch. God is shown inside a floating nebulous form
made up of drapery and other figures. God is depicted
as an elderly, yet muscular man with grey hair and a
long beard which react to the forward movement of
flight. Rather than wearing royal garments and depicted
as an all-powerful ruler, he wears only a light tunic
which leaves much of his arms and legs exposed.
On the left hand side of this particular fresco, we see
Adam reclining on his back with one arm on the
ground and the other arm stretched out. Adam is
depicted as a lounging figure who rather
lackadaisically responds to God’s imminent touch.
This touch will not only give life to Adam, but will
give life to all mankind. Adam’s body forms a
concave shape which echoes the form of God’s body,
which is in a convex posture inside the nebulous,
floating form. it seems to reflect the idea that Man
has been created in the image and likeness of God –
an idea with which Michelangelo had to have been
familiar.
 Spiritual
Interpretation of The
Creation of Adam

Obviously, this image is spiritual in nature because it represents

the moment when God gives life to Adam in the Book of Genesis.
But what are we supposed to make of the way Michelangelo
displays each of these figures? Are God and Adam reaching towards
one another, or are they letting go of one another? If they're
reaching towards one another, then the image could represent the
mutual desire of God and humanity for one another. If they're
letting go of one another, Michelangelo could be asserting
humanity's independence or separation from God.
Composition
God is depicted as an elderly
white-bearded caucasian man
wrapped in a swirling cloak while
Adam, on the lower left, is
completely naked. God's right arm
is outstretched to impart the spark
of life from his own finger into that
of Adam, whose left arm is extended
in a pose mirroring God's, a
reminder that man is created in the
image and likeness of God (Gen.
1:26). Another point is that Adam's
finger and God's finger aren't
touching. It gives the impression
that God, the giver of life, is
reaching out to Adam who has yet
to receive it; they [God and Adam]
are not on "the same level" as
would be two humans shaking
hands, for instance.
Meaning of the Painting

The meaning of this painting has everything to do with the creation of

man and the start of the human race, but looking deeper, this painting is about
the relationship that the creator has forged with his creation. By simply
stretching out his arms, God creates Adam and points out the Christ child as
Adam's saviour. Here, the creator is truly all knowing. He is about to bestow
Adam with everything that he will need, but God has already seen the fall of
man after temptation from the devil. He, therefore, anticipates this fall and
presents a ready solution through Christ.
 WAS THIS AN
INSPIRATION OF
Many historians believe that the ADAM?
inspiration for the depicting of Adam is a
cameo (relief image) of a nude Augustus
Caesar, one of the most famous Roman Cameo of Agustus Caesar
riding a capricorn naked
Emperors in history, riding sidesaddle on a
Capricorn.One of the most remarkable facts
about the Creation of Adam is that this cameo
can now be admired in Alnwick Castle in
Northumberland.The fact that a friend of
Michelangelo, cardinal Domenico Grimani,
owned the cameo and lived in Rome while he
was painting the ceiling could explain the
reason how he got his inspiration from it.
 In 1990 in Anderson, Indiana, physician Frank Meshberger noted in the Journal of the
American Medical Association that the background figures and shapes portrayed behind
the figure of God appeared to be an anatomically accurate picture of the human brain. On
close examination, borders in the painting correlate with major sulci of the cerebrum in the
inner and outer surface of the brain, the brain stem, the frontal lobe, the basilar artery, the
pituitary gland and the optic chiasm. Examine Figures 1 and 2 to see if there is any
similarity between them. Examine Figures 3 and 4 and decide if these figures are similar or
dissimilar.
 Examine Figures 1 and 2 to see if there is any similarity between
them. Examine Figures 3 and 4 and decide if these figures are similar
or dissimilar.
SULCUS CINGULI

PONS
SPINAL CORD
PITUITARY GLAND VERTEBRAL ARTERY
Adam and God, the use
of bodies which are
both muscular and
twisting, and the
painting of figures who
come across as works
of sculpture. It is good
to remember that
Michelangelo was, after
all, a sculptor. Painting
was not his primary
area.
 Group 2
Leader: Raen Jade Villarin

Members:
Angeline Itao
Danha Fe Ongue
Angilly Josol