Did Michelangelo Paint a Brain on the Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
Did Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel subversive by rooting the iconic image of the hand of God giving life to Adam within the human brain? If so, Michelangelo was a very, very clever fellow! Let the viewer decide.
Consider this: If this is truly a subversive act by Michelangelo then the iconic interpretation of the painting as “God gives life to Adam” then becomes “Adam gives life to God.” Intriguing, considering the fact that Michelangelo painted this image on the ceiling of one of the most powerful churches during a time when the church was at its most powerful. Intriguing, if not extremely dangerous.
H/T: Boing Boing
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Or is there some deeper meaning?
http://jordanrempel.com/vsfx419/images/jellyfish2.jpg
LOL!
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If Michaelangelo really thought “Adam gave life to God”, then consider this: Eve and the Baby Jesus are also in that “brain”. Why would Adam come up with a desperately sinful human race who needs God to send Jesus to save them? Adam looks like he barely wants to make the effort to reach God. That’s what Christianity is. God is the one who makes the effort to reach down to us and save us even before we know we need help. The “brain” means God is all knowing and knows everything man needs: life, companionship (Eve), and salvation (Jesus).
@nowgirl: Ah, OK. That’s one interpretation, I guess. Though, I’d suggest that the idea of “Adam” (humanity) giving birth to God is more than slightly different than the act of running with this idea and developing it further through narrative (bible).
Your interpretation is built on the later and you should at least be cognitive of it. I’m not saying that it is wrong; I’m just saying that it is different and divergent from the age old question being asked here (i.e., Did humans create God or did God create humans?), and was that Michelangelo’s point at all?
The theory that Michelangelo depicted God in a human brain on the ceiling must be correct because he painted Christ inside Dante’s brain on the wall, thirty years later in The Last Judgment. In addition, he painted God with other anatomical parts in other scenes on the ceiling.
See: http://www.artscholar.org/michelangelo.asp
and download Michelangelo’s Art Through Michelangelo’s Eyes.
@Simon: Thanks for the link! That is fascinating …