"The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo

In the Sistine Chapel, hands become more than just hands. The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo is one of the frescoes that adorn this Vatican City chapel in Rome. It has been a familiar and sought-after sight for many around the world for centuries, which we will discuss in the article below.

Artist Abstract: Who Was Michelangelo?

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarotti Simoni was a Renaissance sculptor, painter, poet, and architect. He was born in March 1475 in Caprese and grew up in Florence.  During his teenage years, he was apprenticed to well-known artists like Domenico Ghirlandaio and Bertoldo di Giovanni.

He also received commissions from several Popes and various wealthy patrons, creating some of the most beautiful sculptures in art history today, namely the “Pietà” (1498-1499) and “David” (1504), among others.

He also created various architectural designs, namely the Capitoline Hill in Rome and its renovation. Reportedly, he was a Christian, lived frugally, and wrote hundreds of poems. He died in 1564 as one of the greatest and most prestigious artists of his time. 

Michelangelo Buonarroti (c. 1545) by Daniele da Volterra; Attributed to Daniele da Volterra, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Creation of Adam (c. 1511/1512) by Michelangelo in Context

The famous creation of man painting depicting the hands of God and Adam almost touching has been one of the most studied and discussed topics in art history. It is a staple for any art student or enthusiast who wants to learn more about the great Renaissance masters like Michelangelo.

We will provide another look at this specific fresco, expanding on the questions like when was The Creation of Adam painted and where is The Creation of Adam located? These and more will be answered in a brief contextual analysis below. Then we will discuss a formal analysis, looking at the stylistic details in terms of art elements and principles.

Contextual Analysis: A Brief Socio-Historical Overview

The Sistine Chapel tells a story to anyone who enters its space, physically or virtually. It is a treasure trove of frescoes, a home to hundreds of painted figures who are all part of a Biblical narrative, occupying its walls and ceiling. Let us take a brief tour of the Sistine Chapel to understand where The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo fits in.

The Sistine Chapel, named “Cappella Sistina” in Italian, is in the Vatican City in Rome, Italy. It forms part of the Apostolic Palace, which is known as the “formal residence” of the Pope.

Although the Apostolic Palace is where official religious and administrative practices take place concerning the Papacy, it is also a site of significant artworks and architecture, and home to the Vatican Museums. The Sistine Chapel was built from 1473 to around 1480/1481 by the request of Pope Sixtus IV. Interestingly, the chapel was named after Pope Sixtus IV, the word “Sistine” derives from the Italian word sistino and is commonly defined as “of or relating to the Pope Sixtus”.

The interior of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome, Italy; Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Sistine Chapel was a renovation project, rebuilding the site of the older Cappella Magna, which was close to ruin. Many sources about the history and design of the chapel refer to two architects, namely, Giovanni de Dolci and Baccio Pontelli. Pope Sixtus IV also commissioned several artists to paint the interior North and South walls; The North wall depicts the Life of Christ, and the South wall depicts the Life of Moses. Among the artists were Sandro Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio.

Below these panels, on either side, are what is known as “trompe l’oeil” draperies, which means they give the illusion of being real.

These walls were also intended to hang real tapestries designed by Raphael, a commission made by Pope Leo X in 1515. Raphael’s tapestries depicted the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and the designs were known famously as the Raphael Cartoons. There were originally 10 designs, however, only seven are left and on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) based in London.

The Sacrifice at Lystra (Act 14: 8-18) (1515) by Raphael, part of the Raphael Cartoons in the Victoria and Albert Museum; Raphael, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1508, Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to repaint the Sistine Chapel ceiling, it was originally painted in blue with golden dots denoting stars by Piermatteo D’Amelia. Reportedly, the Pope asked for a depiction of the 12 Apostles, but Michelangelo proposed a more elaborate subject matter, which resulted in what we see on the Sistine Chapel ceiling today.

The Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo depicts several stories from the Old Testament in the Holy Bible.

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome, Italy; Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Just above each of the North and South walls are a series of lunettes, which depict the ancestors/forefathers of Jesus Christ. There are four large pendentives, which are triangular in each corner, depicting scenes about Israel’s salvation. Along the border of the ceiling, in line with the pendentives, we will notice smaller triangular shapes, commonly knowns as spandrels.

These have been thought to depict more family/ancestors of Jesus Christ.

In between the spandrels and pendentives, there are 12 figures of alternating Prophets and Sibyls all relating to their foreseeing of the coming of Jesus Christ. The next panel consists of what is known as the central paintings, which composes of nine horizontally shaped panels, which are grouped as threes and decorated with medallions and male nudes referred to as ignudi.

An example of the sibyls and ignudi painted by Michelangelo. Pictured is the Cumaean Sibyl (1511) painting; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The central stories are from the Bible’s Book of Genesis and are painted to be viewed starting from the altar, which is on the East side of the Sistine Chapel. The first group of three scenes is about the creation of the heavens and earth. These start with The Separation of Light from Darkness, The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants, and The Separation of Land from Sea.

Here, we see the strong and powerful figure of God actively dominant in the scenes.

The next three scenes depict the creation of man painting scenes, namely The Creation of Adam painting, which we will discuss in more detail below. This is followed by The Creation of Eve and The Original Sin and Banishment from the Garden of Eden. The last three scenes depict the story of Noah, namely, The Sacrifice of Noah, The Flood, and The Drunkenness of Noah. This set of paintings is closer to the entrance of the chapel, which is on the West side. 

Michelangelo’s painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome, Italy; Sistine Chapel, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

An interesting point to note is that it is believed The Creation of Adam painting was inspired by the hymn titled Veni, Creator Spiritus by Rabanus Maurus. According to a translation from the Vatican, in the hymn’s third stanza it is written, as “finger of God’s right hand”, in Latin it is “dextrae Dei tu digitus”. Other translations describe it as the “finger of God’s hand”.

If we look at the essence of it, it refers to God’s power as a creator of life.

Additionally, in the art scholar Paul Barolsky’s article Michelangelo and the Spirit of God, published in Source: Notes in the History of Art (Volume 17, Number 4, 1998), he connects the meaning of the word spiritus to “wind” or “breath”, which Michelangelo depicted in The Creation of Adam and the source of wind we notice in the drapery and hair. 

Furthermore, God is almost like the breath of creation, His creation being Adam. Barolsky also mentions that Michelangelo could have found inspiration from Sandro Botticelli’s god of wind Zephyr in The Birth of Venus (c. 1484-1486). There are similarities between the position of Zephyr’s body and God’s body, which appears to be floating in the air as if buoyed by the wind. 

Formal Analysis: A Brief Compositional Overview

The Creation of Adam painting has been one of the more outstanding frescoes out of the nine central panels on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The hands of God and Adam are dramatically frozen in time as if at any moment the world will explode when their fingertips touch. In the formal analysis, we look further at this scene as well as how Michelangelo artistically created it.   

The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Visual Description: Subject Matter

The Creation of Adam painting is a scene based on Verse 1:27 from The Book of Genesis in the Bible. As the title suggests, it is about the moment of God touching Adam, creating him in His image. As per the New King James Version: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”.

In the fresco, we see two large male figures, God is depicted to the right and Adam is to the left. Both figures have their arms outstretched towards one another, Adam’s left arm reaches out to God’s right arm, and both of their index fingers meet in the center of the composition.

However, there is a small gap between Adam’s and God’s touching hands, or almost-touching hands. This seemingly depicts the moment right before God touches Adam, subsequently creating Adam.

A detail of the hands of God and Adam in The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

There are differences between the two figures. If we look more closely at the figure of God to the right, He is wearing what appears to be a whitish tunic and His facial features suggest that He is older than Adam, evident by His gray beard and hair. However, His figure is depicted as quite muscular.

Behind and around God are 12 nude figures; most appear youthful and like angels, but they do not have wings. God’s left arm is around the shoulders of the figure beside His left-hand side, who appears to be a female, however, this figure has been the topic of scholarly debate for many years.

Some believe it is in fact a male figure and others believe that it could either be the Virgin Mary or Eve.

A detail of The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Furthermore, God’s left index finger and thumb are lightly touching the right shoulder of the infantile figure just beside the male/female figure mentioned above. This figure appears to be holding onto the leg of the male/female figure.

The rest of the figures are all in varying positions as if floating in space around God.

Additionally, all the figures and God are semi-enclosed by a reddish cloak or drape behind them, and at the bottom, some of the figures’ legs are dangling outside of it where there is also a light green scarf/material gently billowing in the same direction. The scarf appears to be attached to the male/female figure to God’s left. 

A detail of The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From this perspective, the figure of God is placed almost at a diagonal angle – he does not appear to be leaning on anything and seemingly looks like he is held aloft by some of the figures around him. However, this is to be questioned, like many other aspects of this composition, which we will discuss further below.

If we turn our gaze to Adam, we will notice he is in a reclining pose on what appears to be a grassy hillside.

There is a blue-gray formation silhouetting the green hillside, which could possibly be a rocky formation or sky. Adam is fully nude compared to God and he too has a muscular figure. He does not have a beard and is visibly younger.

A close-up of Adam in The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He is leaning on his right elbow and his left elbow rest on his drawn-up left knee. His right leg is outstretched on the grass in front of him. His head is slightly tilted to his left and aligns in the direction of his outstretched left arm, which also forms the straight direction for his seeming languishing gaze towards God.  

Adam’s posture has been described as more passive compared to God’s, which is fitting for his role as the receptacle of life in this narrative; Adam awaits God’s touching hands to give him this human life force.

Furthermore, God is looking at Adam as He stretches out towards him, dynamic in His countenance. His figure is similarly actively engaging as He reaches to Adam. Adam is also situated slightly below God, but their figures appear almost equidistant from one another.

A close-up of The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Color and Value

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo is a fresco painting, which means the artist painted onto wet plaster. The color scheme appears light with a large area composed of fleshy tones like browns and creamy colors, as well as yellows for some of the figures’ hair. God’s hair is in a cooler grayish-blue color and Adam’s hair appears to be a darker brown with some lighter highlights.

There are also darker areas of shading on the figures, which emphasizes their shapes and anatomy, creating a sense of depth.

Shading in The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Other colors that stand out, but are not overpoweringly bright, include the greens from the grass to the left and the scarf to the right, and the blue-gray from the rocky formation or sky behind Adam. These are cooler color schemes. We see the deeper shade of red from the cloth behind God, which is a warmer color. 

There is an overall harmony of color in this composition because of the similar skin tones throughout.

The backdrop of colors like green, blue, and red creates a contrasting effect and a different color value compared to the lighter value of the figures. The rest of the background of the fresco is a neutral white-gray color, which further highlights the two primary figures of God and Adam in the foreground. This background could also denote white clouds and the sky. 

The background of The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Texture

We can see an implied texture for the drapery and clothing, which appear light and diaphanous in texture. Furthermore, the figures are all painted with smooth skin textures, and some also have more plump flesh while others are more muscularly taught.

The figures’ hair also appears soft and flowing, notably God’s hair, which is billowing to the right of the composition from what seems to be an unknown wind or breeze.

A detail of The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Line, Form, and Shape

There is a compositional balance created in God’s and Adam’s positioning. Their placements divide the composition into two parts so to say. Adam’s overall shape has often been described as “concave” and God’s shape as “convex”.

This forms a perfect contrast between the two and hints at the deeper meaning and relationship between God and Adam.

Furthermore, the backdrops behind each figure are dominantly curved shapes, which are contrasted by the strong horizontal line created from the outstretched arms and culminating hands of God and Adam, which seemingly connects the two parts mentioned above.

A section of The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Science and Symbolism in The Creation of Adam

The artworks by Michelangelo, who painted The Creation of Adam, have been widely studied topics by many art historians and scholars, including in the fields of science. There has been a wide variety of theories proposed around what Michelangelo meant in his fresco of God touching Adam, or the imminent moment before He touches him. Below, we will mention some of the common theories, however, we encourage you to delve deeper into the deeper meanings and mysteries surrounding this painting.

Michelangelo was truly a skillful artist, but he was also an intelligent man who undoubtedly understood more than most in the age he lived.  

Some of the more popular theories include that of Frank Lynn Meshberger M.D. He posited that the form we see behind the figure of God and the 12 angelic figures resemble the anatomical structure of the human brain, furthermore, various placements like the figure that appears “sad” to God’s left and God Himself, correspond to functions of the brain.

For example, Meshberger explained in his publication An Interpretation of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam Based on Neuroanatomy (1990), that the figure of God is “superimposed” over what is known as the Limbic System of the brain, which is responsible for the emotions. The above-mentioned “sad” figure next to God is placed in an area of the brain where the emotion of sadness has been detected on PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans.

Additionally, if we look at the outstretched hands of God and Adam, God’s arm is reportedly positioned in the brain known as the Prefrontal Cortex, which has been shown to be responsible for creative thinking processes.

Meshberger further drew a connection between the “intellect” and the “divine part” from one of Michelangelo’s sonnets, where the artist explained that the “ready hand” can start “only after the intellect has planned”, in other words, here the intellect is considered as the “divine part”. As Meshberger explained, Michelangelo had the awareness that his skills originated from “his brain and not in his hands”.

Other theories point to the idea that Michelangelo painted God in a red womb and the green scarf or piece of material could be the umbilical cord, from which Adam just detached. This is understood as symbolic of the birthing process and that Adam is newly created, or birthed, by God.

The Creation of Adam (c. 1511) by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; Michelangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pointing Fingers at Michelangelo’s Masterpiece 

The hands of God and Adam have been immortalized and appropriated in contemporary culture, forever emblazoned as a contemporary pop-cultural symbol, in films, television series, and video games. Other examples include the famous promotional poster for the 1982 movie called E.T. by Steven Spielberg and parody portrayals by artists and designers like James Hance’s The Creation of Muppet and Arne Niklas Jansson’s Touched by His Noodly Appendage (2005).

Michelangelo’s God-touching-Adam fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, hands down, is one of the most endearing renderings of a Biblical scene from the late Renaissance era, not only for its beauty but also for its inherent mystery. This is a painting that appears straightforward and simple in its visual portrayal, but it holds a wealth of meaning that goes beyond what the eye sees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Painted The Creation of Adam?

The Creation of Adam (c. 1511-1512) was painted by Michelangelo Buonarotti and is part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the hands of God being an iconic image. He was one of the great artists from the Renaissance era, as well as one of the forerunners of the early Mannerism art style that developed after the High Renaissance. 

When Was The Creation of Adam Painted?

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarotti was painted between 1511 and 1512, which was during the time when the Renaissance artist painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, which he started around 1508 and finished in 1512.

Where Is The Creation of Adam Located?

The Creation of Adam (c. 1511-1512) by Michelangelo is a fresco painting that forms part of the series of frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which is in the Vatican City in Rome, Italy.

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