Touch-"Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo(1511)

Touch

            The famous Michelangelo painted the “Creation of Adam” on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1511(Norwich, 293).  It was painted during the Renaissance when religion played a dominant role in society. The painting displays the relationship between God and Mankind. The painting directly correlates with a scripture in the first chapter in the Bible, Genesis (“Creation of Adam). The scripture, Genesis 1:36-27 states “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.” From his vision, God formed man into what he saw as beautiful (“Creation of Adam”). A significant role of our beauty comes in the form of touch. 

             Within this painting, there exists symbolism that significantly shows how touch affects people’s life. Through intricate detail, Adam’s body holds himself in a calm, careless composure, while God on the other side is passionately reaching out to plant the breath of life into man (“Creation of Adam”). This is emphasizing the importance of their fingers touching. Also, interpreting Adam’s facial expression, he is not passionate. With his beautiful body, his attitude shows that he doesn’t really need God. When they touch, it symbolizes the bond between God and Man being built for the first time (“The Creation of Adam”). That bond represents the unity and connection people have with other people today. From a different perspective, touch is how we absorb feeling from each other and how we plant life into one another. Relating to the “Creation of Adam”, as they touch, Adam would receive strong emotions of security and love from God, and God would feel joy in being reunited with mankind. As emotions play such an active role in man’s life, it produces a range of consequences; will men work happily together or engage in warfare with one another. Our ability to touch and its role on our emotions has determined how we connect and interact with the millions of people in this world.