The Hidden Meaning of Michelangelo's ‘Creation of Adam’
The symbolic iconography of the masterpiece
Source-Wikipedia
Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam is acknowledged as one of the world’s most famous art treasures. It is a fresco painting that forms part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
This painting reflects the incredible knowledge of Michelangelo in human anatomy. His experience in anatomical dissection is well documented by Renaissance artist Giorgio Vasari in Lives of the Artists.
Vasari says, “For the church of Santo Spirito in Florence, Michelangelo made a crucifix of wood which was placed above the lunette of the high altar where it still is. He made this to please the prior, who placed rooms at his disposal where Michelangelo very often used to flay dead bodies in order to discover the secrets of anatomy…”
Michelangelo's proficient anatomy skills aroused the interest of various art historians in the 21st century to analyze the hidden meaning behind the painting. The most common interpretation is the juxtaposition of God with the human brain. But some have argued it to be the portrayal of the birth process or Eve’s Rib.
