Fresco painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, circa 1511-1512

The creation of Adam
Michelangelo

Describe

❤️shows the artist's personal depiction of God
❤️Adam, God and the angels all have bodies made with complex shapes.
❤️The gray rock-like figure behind Adam shows organic shape.
❤️God is giving life to Adam, the first human, through his fingertips
❤️God sits among many angel-like beings while Adam rests on a green pasture
❤️Green pasture has organic shape

Analyze

❤️Michelangelo views God as a wise older man
❤️The green pasture Adam sits on is the new Earth that God has just created
❤️Horizontal movement of arms
❤️Negative space behind hands emphasizes hands

Interpret

I think Michelangelo was trying stress the fact that humankind was created from God himself. God touched Adam and brought life into him and it shows through how close their fingers are.