The Creation of Adam

This article is about the Michaelangelo fresco. For the event it's depicting, see Genesis creation narrative.
The Creation of Adam
Creazione di Adamo (Italian)
ArtistMichelangelo
Yearc. 1512
TypeFresco
MediumCeiling plaster
Dimensions280 cm × 570 cm (9 ft 2 in × 18 ft 8 in)[1]
LocationSistine Chapel, Vatican City

The Creation of Adam (Italian: Creazione di Adamo), also known as The Creation of Man,[2]: plate 54  is a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo, which forms part of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, painted c. 1508–1512.[3] It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God gives life to Adam, the first man. The fresco is part of a complex iconographic scheme and is chronologically the fourth in the series of panels depicting episodes from Genesis.

The painting has been reproduced in countless imitations and parodies.[4] Michelangelo's Creation of Adam is one of the most replicated religious paintings of all time.[5]

  1. ^ Gardner, Helen; Kleiner, Fred S. (2016) [2008]. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. A Concise Global History (4th ed.). Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-305-57780-0.
  2. ^ Goldscheider, Ludwig (1967). Michelangelo: Paintings, Sculpture, Architecture (Complete ed.). London & New York: Phaidon. OCLC 987446.
  3. ^ Marinazzo, Adriano (2022). "Michelangelo as the Creator. The self-portrait of the Buonarroti Archive, XIII, 111 r". Critica d'Arte (13–14): 99–107.
  4. ^ Katz, Jamie (9 April 2009). "The Measure of Genius: Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel at 500". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  5. ^ "20 of the World's Most Famous Art Pieces". HistoryLists.org. 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2018.