Creation of Adam

from the sources

• The Creation of Adam is a fresco by Michelangelo that forms part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted 1508–1512. en.wikipedia.org

  “The Creation of Adam (Italian: Creazione di Adamo), also known as The Creation of Man, is a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo, which forms part of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, painted 1508–1512.”

• The fresco depicts the Genesis account in which God gives life to Adam, the first man. en.wikipedia.org

  “It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God gives life to Adam, the first man.”

• The panel is the fourth in chronological order among the Genesis episode panels on the ceiling. en.wikipedia.org

  “The fresco is part of a complex scheme and is chronologically the fourth in the series of panels depicting episodes from Genesis.”

• The painting is described as one of the most frequently replicated religious paintings ever made. en.wikipedia.org

  “Michelangelo's Creation of Adam is one of the most replicated religious paintings of all time.”

• God is shown as an elderly bearded man in a swirling cloak, while Adam is naked at the lower left. en.wikipedia.org

  “God is depicted as an elderly white-bearded man, wrapped in a swirling cloak while Adam, on the lower left, is completely naked.”

• Some scholars read the small gap between the two index fingers as representing humanity's inability to attain divine perfection. en.wikipedia.org

  “The two index fingers, however, are separated by a small gap [3⁄4 inch (1.9 cm)], and some scholars think that it represents the unattainability of divine perfection by man.”

• A widely accepted interpretation, first proposed by Walter Pater, identifies the figure protected by God's left arm as Eve. en.wikipedia.org

  “According to an interpretation that was first proposed by the English art critic Walter Pater (1839–1894) and is now widely accepted, the person protected by God's left arm represents Eve”

• The Sistine Chapel ceiling contains nine Genesis episodes at its center, divided into three groups. en.wikipedia.org

  “At its centre are nine episodes from the Book of Genesis, divided into three groups: God's creation of the world; God's creation of man and his fall from God's grace;”