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Behind me is Saint Peter's basilica in Rome's Vatican City and to my right
behind those buildings is the Sistine Chapel.
The Sistine Chapel is one of the most famous art museums in the world
made so by its many famous paintings by Renaissance masters like Sandro
Bottecelli.
But by far the most famous artist is
Michelangelo Buonarroti
or better known as simply Michelangelo.
Michelangelo's best-known paintings are on the chapel ceiling
and depict biblical events from the book of Genesis from God separating light and
darkness to Noah and the great flood.
But one of the ceilings nine central panels stands out in fame from all the
others.
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone in the western world that has not seen or
heard of Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam"
in which God reaches out to give the spark of life to the first man.
You've seen it reproduced in prints and posters,
on coffee mugs and t-shirts.
Sometimes the full painting as I once saw it in full scale on the ceiling of a
coffee shop in Brooklyn,
and done very well I might add, but oftentimes only the isolated hands of
the two principals need be shown for instead recognition.
It's amazing how such a small part of the overall work
distills the essence of the work itself.
It's arguably the most famous single work of art in the history of western
civilization.
Right up there with Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and
Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night.
The Creation of Adam deserves its immense fame for its sheer beauty and
artistic achievement alone,
yet it is not without controversy.
Much has been written about its meaning based on what some perceive as cryptic
elements.
Was Michelangelo imparting
some secret message in coded imagery?
One theory is that the red shroud framing God and his entourage is
intentionally shaped like the human brain and its parts,
the trailing fabric being the brain stem and spinal cord.
Michelangelo an expert in anatomy is saying, the theory goes,
that God is bestowing the intellect upon Adam.
Another theory claims the shroud is meant to represent the womb and the
trailing fabric the umbilical cord. The scene portrayed in the Creation of Adam
is said to depict the verse
in Genesis 2 where God
breathed into Adam's face the breath of life.
But we can clearly see that God is not breathing on Adam and that Adam is
already alive
so that moment has passed and Michelangelo by choosing to ignore the
literal old testament description
obviously intended to emphasize some other meaning.
But just what is that meaning?
It may be that the artist wanted to show that man is much more than flesh
animated.
We know that all life on earth is similar in that respect from the amoeba
to the great whale.
So michelangelo perhaps is saying that God is now giving
the first man that quality
which makes him unique of all God's creatures
and the bible tells us that this ingredient is the soul.
We've learned something about the artist Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
creations,
but what does it all mean for you and me?
Perhaps you don't believe in the literal interpretation of the bible as did
Michelangelo.
Neveretheless I think the Creation of Adam has significance for people in the
twenty-first century
for it symbolizes a belief in a higher power,
however you choose to characterize that power
from God made a man's image
to a mystical undefined embodiment of the source of life.
Adam is an Everyman representing all of humankind.
Adam's hand reaching out and God's hand offering fourth
very simply distills the relationship between creation and
creator.
Seen in this way the universal gesture
might be interpreted as a prayer of thanks
for the gift of life.
But I think there's also something else expressed here.
There's an adage of faith that says
"let go and let God"
that unforeseen great things can happen when you give up your ego and accept
guidance from a power greater than yourself.
Michelangelo by indulging his ego and resisting the Pope's order to paint the
Sistine Chapel ceiling
was actually placing limits on his creative abilities.
He thought, he was fearful,
that he would be giving up his chance for art immortality
but letting go of the Pope's tomb project.
For that was to be his great monuments for posterity.
This tomb was to be grand indeed.
It would be free standing in the Basilica of Saint Peter
and contain no less than forty statues.
For a sculptor it was a once-in-a-lifetime project.
Acting through Pope Julius God was actually inviting Michelangelo to
stretch his creative limits
to give expression to his full artistic abilities
and approve his faith.
When he finally did let go and let God
he was inspired to create
what has become one of the greatest artistic achievements of all time.
You see originally the Pope commission Michelangelo to only paint Christ twelve
apostles, twelve figures total, that's all.
But he wound up painting over three hundred figures!
Michelangelo completely reconfigured the original concept once he fully committed
himself to the project.
And the Pope wisely let him do what he wanted to do
and that was nothing less than pictorially
interpreting the biblical history of Mankind's beginnings.
As symbolized in his famous painting,
Michelangelo figuratively reached out to God
and received the touch
of divine inspiration.
At HolonArt we wanted to commemorate this monumental creation by
crafting an item of personal art that everyone could wear to express their
faith in God.
We commissioned a jewelry artist to create a pendant
to depict this moment in three dimensions. By focusing only on the hands
of God and Adam,
that focuses so beautifully the theme of the work,
he made a miniature sculpture.
When we saw this stunning 3D rendering,
we thought of it is our humble tribute to one of the greatest sculptors who
ever lived.
And here is that pendant
cast in bronze
and plated in twenty-four carat gold.
Note the exquisite detail in the carving of the hands all beautifully framed to
accent this miniature work of art.
We turned the figures up slightly from horizontal to present God's hand as
coming from above,
a small alteration from the original,
but remember the actual frescoes are viewed on the Sistine Chapel ceiling
so everything is from above.
The "Touch of God" will inspire you and be admired by others for as long as you own
it.
And it will never become outdated.
It already has over five hundred years of history behind it.
Wear this elegant item of personal art
as a prayer of thanks for life or as a reminder that there is always a blessing
to trusting in the Almighty.
Let go and
feel the Touch of God.