Explaining the God Touching Adam Painting in the Sistine Chapel

The official name of the God and Adam painting is the Creation of Adam. This fresco in the Sistine Chapel in Rome famously shows God reaching out to Adam, the first Biblical man, and almost touching his hand with His finger. Come along with us as we take a deep dive into this magnificent work of art and explore what it represents, its symbolic interpretations, its cultural and religious significance, and much more!

What is the Adam and God painting?

The God and Adam painting is a fresco called the Creation of Adam. It depicts God and the Biblical figure Adam almost touching fingers. It was painted in c. 1511-1512 by Michelangelo, a famous Renaissance artist. You can still see it on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome.

Section 1 of 7:

What is the Creation of Adam?

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The Creation of Adam is a famous fresco of God and the Biblical figure Adam. It was painted by the renowned 16th-century artist Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome. It's only one of a series of frescos spanning 500 square meters and depicting 300 figures. It's also one of the most impressive and significant works of art in history.^{[1]
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- What is a fresco? A fresco is a special type of mural. To make it, the artist applies a layer of plaster made with limestone and sand to a wall or ceiling. While the plaster is still wet, the artist applies paint created from water and pigments. The paint penetrates deep into the plaster, and when the water evaporates, the paint becomes part of the surface underneath.^{[2]
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  - That's why we're still able to enjoy frescoes like the Creation of Adam over 500 years after they were first painted!
- Did you know? Baroque artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione also painted God creating Adam and titled his piece Creation of Adam. He used black ink on ivory laid paper for his medium, and the final artwork is quite different from Michelangelo's fresco! He also made it in 1645-1650, over a century after Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 7:

What does the Creation of Adam represent?

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The Creation of Adam represents God giving life to his creation, Adam. According to the book of Genesis in the Bible, God created the first human being by giving him "the breath of life." The fresco is an artistic and symbolic representation of that event. Here's a breakdown of the most important figures Michelangelo included in this work of art:^{[4]
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- God: God (right) is depicted as a human man with long white hair and a flowing beard. He's wearing white clothes and is either floating or being carried through the air by angels as he reaches out his index finger to touch Adam's hand.
  - When painting God as a human, Michelangelo was likely inspired by Genesis 1:27: "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him."
- Adam: Adam (left) has brown hair and no beard. He's completely naked and is lying on what looks like the edge of a cliff or a grassy hill. He looks sad or exhausted and seems to just barely be able to hold out his limp hand toward God's finger.
  - One theory suggests that Michelangelo may have included a hidden extra rib in Adam's ribcage.^{[5]
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    PubMed Central
    Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
    
    Go to source} If true, it may represent the rib God takes from Adam to create Eve, the first woman, while he was sleeping (Genesis 2:21-22).
- Angels: The 12 figures surrounding God are angels. They're either carrying Him or floating along with Him, and they all seem to be wrapped in a red cloak or mantle. God's right arm is hooked around the angel next to Him. She is the only woman in the fresco. His right hand is touching the shoulder of an angel who looks like a child.
  - Many people speculate that the woman isn't an angel at all. Instead, they think she could be Eve (Adam's future partner) or the Virgin Mary, the future mother of Jesus.^{[6]
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Section 3 of 7:

Creation of Adam Symbolic Interpretations

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The Creation of Adam symbolizes God giving Adam life. The fresco shows Adam looking weak and tired. Meanwhile, God appears strong and vital. The viewer assumes that by touching Adam, God will inject or breathe His life force into him, so that Adam can become a real thinking human being.
- Did you know? The Creation of Adam is the first of 9 frescoes depicting important scenes from the book of Genesis in the Bible. After painting this first series (along with several other smaller frescoes), Michelangelo would return to the Sistine Chapel in 1533 to paint The Last Judgement, a single fresco showing the moment when God judges humanity in the End Times.^{[7]
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The Creation of Adam may also symbolize God giving man intellect. One theory speculates that Michelangelo arranged God and the 12 angels in a specific way, so that the outline of their combined shapes looks like a brain from the side. If true, then God reaching out to Adam could symbolize Him giving him the gift of intellect. This makes sense when you realize that Adam is already alive because of his open eyes and outstretched hand. To make him truly human, he only needs the power to think and reason, which comes from God.^{[8]
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- Michelangelo wrote a sonnet in which he refers to man's intellect as his "divine part." This could mean that Michelangelo believed that what makes man "divine" and connected to God isn't his body, but his brain.
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It could also symbolize God "giving birth" to man. Another theory suggests that Michelangelo grouped the figures of God and the angels to represent a woman's uterus while she's pregnant. The red mantle represents the inside of the uterus. The angels form the placenta, while God's arm reaching out to Adam symbolizes the umbilical cord. This changes our perception of this painting from one of God imbuing Adam with life or intellect to one of Him "birthing" humanity.^{[9]
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Section 4 of 7:

Creation of Adam Cultural & Religious Significance

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The Renaissance period, from the 14th to the 16th century, was a wonderful time for art, innovation, and scientific discovery in Europe.^{[10]
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Research source} Some of the greatest artists in history—Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael—lived in this era. Michelangelo painted the Creation of Adam in 1511-1512, when the Renaissance was at its height.^{[11]
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It's also religiously significant for being located in a center of Catholicism. Michelangelo painted the Creation of Adam fresco on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The Sistine Chapel is part of the Apostolic Palace, the Catholic Pope's residence in Rome, Italy. Not only is the chapel a kind of mecca for Catholics from all over the world, but it's also where the cardinals elect a new pope after the previous one dies.^{[12]
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- Did you know? Around 5 million people visit the Sistine Chapel every year!^{[13]
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Section 5 of 7:

Is the Creation of Adam controversial?

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Yes, some people think it's controversial for how it portrays God and Adam. The Creation of Adam shows God as an old man, which some critics believe creates an insulting (and false) image of Him as doddering and senile. They also think that Adam is lazy for not making more of an effort to reach out to God.^{[14]
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Research source} Another point of controversy is nudity. Several of the figures that Michelangelo painted in the Sistine Chapel—including Adam— are completely naked with their genitalia exposed.^{[15]
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- Did you know? In 1564, after Michelangelo's death, the Church hired an artist named Daniele da Volterra to paint over many of the exposed genitalia in Michelangelo's final work for the chapel, The Last Judgement. (Volterra was later nicknamed Il Braghettone, meaning "breeches maker.") The Creation of Adam was left alone, however, which means it still looks the same as it did when Michelangelo first painted it.

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Who painted the Creation of Adam?

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The Creation of Adam was painted by a famous artist named Michelangelo. Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and painter who lived from 1475-1564.^{[16]
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Research source} In 1506, Pope Julius II commissioned him to sculpt his tomb. Michelangelo was already working on this project in 1508 when the pope asked him to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. He envisioned a grand display with important scenes from the Old Testament in the Bible. Michelangelo was unhappy about the shift since he preferred sculpting over painting. But he eventually gave in to the pope's demands.^{[17]
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- Did you know? Contrary to popular belief, Michelangelo didn't paint the Sistine Chapel while lying down. Instead, he stood on wooden scaffolds erected close to the ceiling and reached above his head to apply the paint.
- Michelangelo did most of the work on the Sistine Chapel frescoes himself. He also seemed to hate every second of it and complained to a friend about how much he suffered physically.
- Pope Julius II paid Michelangelo at least 3,000 ducats for the project. He had to buy his own materials with 1000 of that. The remaining 2000 ducats is equivalent to $52,000 in modern currency.^{[18]
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- In 1534, Pope Clement VII asked Michelangelo to return to the Sistine Chapel and add The Last Judgement fresco. This painting was a huge source of controversy, since most of the figures in it (including the demons) weren't wearing any coverings over their private parts.^{[19]
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Section 7 of 7:

Final Thoughts

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The God and Adam painting is a beautiful fresco from the Renaissance era. It's a symbolic depiction of God about to give life to Adam—the first Biblical human being—by touching him with His finger. The fresco was painted by famed 16th-century artist Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling and was one of the most important artistic undertakings of his life. Even now, over 500 years after its completion, the painting remains a culturally and religiously significant example of Renaissance artwork. Every year, millions of people travel from all over the world to experience the piece (and the Sistine Chapel) in person.
- Other Biblical paintings from history that are similarly significant are The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, The Conversion of Saint Paul by Caravaggio, and The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt.