Analysis Sistine Chapel ceiling

The nine central frescoes making up the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are inspired by the Old Testament (1). These are classified in a precise order, according to a series of successive events. These frescoes are painted in rectangular compartments, of which four of these biblical scenes are depicted in large compartments and separated by five smaller compartments. Scenes of Creation   The first five scenes illustrate the story of Creation. In order we have: The separation of Light and Darkness, The Creation of the Sun and the Moon, The separation of waters and earth, The Creation of Adam and The Creation of Eve.    1/ The separation of Light and Darkness (1511, fresco, 395 x 200) “And the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the waters” This is what The separation of Light and Darkness should have corresponded to. However, Michelangelo painted chaos, which he represented using thick clouds. After cleaning the fresco, we were able to certify that it was indeed God, who separates light from darkness, with a single movement of his arm. This scene corresponds to the first day of the story of Creation. Old Testament: name given by Christians to the sacred books of Judaism. The Old Testament constitutes the first part of the Bible of Christianity. The second part of this Bible, specific to Christianity, is called The “New Testament”.
2/ The Creation of the Stars (1511, fresco, 280 x 570 cm) “God made two great lights, the big light to rule over the day, the small light to rule over the night, he also made the stars. » The Creation of the Stars as well as the Creation of vegetation take place respectively on the third and fourth days following the chronological order of Creation according to the Bible. In this fresco, God, who is represented from different angles and therefore seems to evolve in three dimensions, firstly creates the Sun and the Moon and secondly, vegetation. Behind him, four angels are present. We observe a certain dynamic in the painting which is highlighted thanks to the different positions of the bodies and the folds present on the clothes. The scene then represents God placing the moon and the sun, in the place that seems correct to him. The colors of these stars are respectively silver and gold. The angel furthest to the right looks towards the moon, the second protects his eyes from the sun while the last, furthest to the right turns his gaze away from the moon, hiding from it as if he feared it. Note that during the Creation of vegetation, the angels no longer appear.   3/ The separation of water and earth (1511, fresco, 395 x 200 cm ) In the biblical story of Creation, the separation of the waters and the earth occurs on the second day. In this depiction, God appears alongside three angels inside a swirling wind. Michelangelo, gives an impression of perspective allowing one of the angels to turn around to observe the swirling space and projecting God towards the viewer. Furthermore, the latter, raising his right hand towards the sky and the other directed more horizontally, even towards the sea, orders the separation of water and earth. Note that Michelangelo, for reasons of size, did not respect the order of Creation. In fact, he interchanged the separation of the waters and the earth which took place on the second day with the Creation of the Stars which took place on the third and fourth days.    4/ The Creation of Adam (1511, fresco, 570x280 cm) The Creation of Adam is certainly the most famous fresco of those which adorn the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. With a length of 5.70 meters and a width of 2.80 meters, it was the last one completed. Also called The Creation of Man, it illustrates the scene from Genesis in which God gave life to Adam, the first man. After God separating water from earth and before The creation of Eve, this is the fourth scene following the order of Genesis. The creation of man was a very common theme during the Renaissance. Three quarters of a century before that of Michelangelo, the best representation was a marble bas-relief created by Jacopo Della Quercia. This work, daring in its rendering of the nude, seemed to open the way to Michelangelo's concerns regarding the human body. She strongly influenced Michelangelo in his treatment of Adam. He also gave him a leaning attitude but represented him more inert and limp waiting for the first spark of life.   Although Michelangelo accomplished a prodigious work of painting, he considered himself primarily a sculptor. Most of his figures are designed as sculptures and their attitudes are often based on examples of Greek and Roman sculpture. In this case, he was strongly inspired by Jacopo's bas-relief. And these hands, so well known today thanks to Nokia which adopted this symbol as its logo, are a synthesis of his studies of the human form and a perfect example of his idealization of ancient sculpture. The scene of the creation of Adam, which is one of the most famous in Western art of the 16th century, is endowed with a rare originality which greatly raises the level of art and presents a new orientation. However, this scene is opposed to the Creation of Eve, more classic in its composition. Michelangelo innovates by representing the moment of the transmission of the Spirit of life through the gesture of the Creator.   When we analyze the painting more closely, we see God, an old bearded man wrapped in a cape, surrounded by cherubs and protecting a female figure under his left arm. We can ask ourselves questions about this woman. Indeed, some say that it is Eve who waits in paradise to, in turn, receive an earthly form and who watches the scene curiously. Others say it is Lilith, Adam's first wife and companion. This entire group of characters is placed on a red shape.   Here again, we can ask ourselves questions. Some say that this shape represents a human brain, which would show Michelangelo's knowledge of the human body and which would represent the consciousness and knowledge that God will instill in Adam when he gives him life. Others say that this “stain” represents a uterus, symbol of fertility and life.   Then, we see God who extends his entire right arm up to his index finger to transmit the spark of life by touching the finger of Adam whose left arm extends that of God in a comparable pose. Adam is depicted as an athletic, perfect adolescent, who in a very weary position, waits for God to breathe life into his spirit and body. God the Father, for his part, presents a severe face and his gray beard represents absolute authority. His authority inexorably draws towards it the hesitant hand of the first still powerless human creature who looks at God with an expression rich in emotion and submission. Adam being perfect physically and similar to God in position and physique confirms the words of the Old Testament that man was created in the image and likeness of God. However, certain differences persist, Adam is “banished” to earth and placed on a triangle of barren earth. Adam in Hebrew means “barren land”.   We can notice near Adam's right thigh a wrist holding a cornucopia filled with acorns, symbol of the Della Rovere family to which Pope Julius II belonged. By doing some research on the symbolism of the green scarf of one of the cherubs, we found that it evoked hope and we interpreted it as the hope that God carries in man.   Everyone who analyzed this painting noticed that there was a very small space between the two fingers and they deduced that this painting represents a humanist idea to the extent that Man takes his independence from God. It is now God who, in the air, gravitates around Man who is on dry land. The restoration of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was begun in 1980. However, this restoration was very controversial because some specialists claimed that by cleaning the surface of the frescoes there was a risk of the author's final touches disappearing. This restoration lasted 12 years, three times as long as it took Michelangelo to complete this ceiling. With the dirt accumulated over five centuries cleaned away and the darkened colors replaced with bright ones, the ceiling now has all the brilliance Michelangelo intended. Michelangelo made an enormous number of sketches, sketches, etc. to create his work. However, very few were found. One of his contemporaries, Giorgio Vasari, designer, painter, architect, collector and art writer, notes: "...I know that shortly before his death he burned with his own hand countless sketches, drawings and boxes so that no one learns of the efforts made and the difficulties that his talent had faced, and so that we never see him anything other than perfect."   5/ The Creation of Eve (1511, fresco, 395 x 200 cm) We can first observe in the fresco a woman, Eve, who prostrates herself before God out of obedience. She receives life at a distance, unlike Adam who receives it through contact. It then seems to emerge from the rock, rather than from the body of the man, which is inert.
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