What We Can Learn from Michelangelo Art Lessons Master Copy of The Creation of Adam

If you look closely at this fragment of Michelangelo's fresco of the creation of Adam, you will see that the reason why God and Adam's hands do not touch is that Adam's finger, unlike God's finger, is not fully extended. What did Michelangelo, this Renaissance genius, want to convey to us? What symbolism is hidden in this small but significant and powerful detail? My name is Nick, this is my art channel, and today we will try to figure this out together, as well as talk about what lessons we, as modern artists and humans, can learn from Michelangelo. But first, a few technical moments. Since my channel is primarily about painting and drawing, I will say a few words about my work today. Please note that what you will see in this video is not Michelangelo's original technique. He used a completely different approach, because he worked with a different material, with actempera. And since I, as usual, use oil paints and do not make a fresco like he did, but paint on a canvas, I will use my own approach, which, as you will see, is very simple and understandable. I applied a warm brownish imprimatur to the prepared canvas. Then, after it had completely dried, I began to create the underpainting, using burnt umber and a white spirit base solvent thinner. My goal at this stage of the work is to create a monochrome drawing with the correct tonal relationships. Then, after the underpainting has completely dried, I begin to work with color, using linseed oil as a thinner. In this painting I am using a limited palette of only four colors, yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, burnt umber and titanium white. I am generally a proponent of limited palettes, I believe they offer a significant number of advantages. Write me in the comments if you want to talk about this in more detail, and I will definitely make a video on this topic. Returning to my painting, at the stage of working with color, my strategy is very simple. I will move from shadows to light, first working on the shadow areas, then the areas of penumbra, and only then the light areas. It is always very important to leave the brightest areas for the very end of the work. For the background, I will use pure titanium white. The warm underpainting will show through the layer of white, and I think this will create a very interesting and beautiful effect. In this work, I didn't set myself a goal of creating an exact copy, I just wanted to touch this masterpiece, to experiment a little, and to practice mixing skin tones using limited palettes. And you know, in general, I've always wanted to have an image of this scene in my own house, and now the time has finally come, I think. So, now that I have told you about my plan for this work, and you can observe the process for yourself, we can finally talk about what we can learn from Michelangelo. Obviously, when we talk about such an outstanding personality as Michelangelo, it's very difficult to fit everything into one short video, so I chose what inspires me the most, and what I myself am trying to learn from this great master. And we will start with anatomy, and the importance of studying it methodically. Michelangelo is rightly considered an unsurpassed master when it comes to depicting the human figure. Look at his sculptures. It's incredible, we see muscles, tendons, bones, veins, we see an absolutely clear understanding of how the human body is constructed. Only someone with a thorough knowledge of anatomy could depict all this. Michelangelo truly has no equal in this art, and one need only look at any of his creations to understand this. In 1492, when died Lorenzo de' Medici, or Lorenzo the Magnificent, who was Michelangelo's patron and benefactor, the young sculptor, feeling lost, asked for protection and help from the abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, where the hospital was located. It was there that Michelangelo was able to thoroughly study anatomy by dissecting corpses. It was during that period, at nights, by the dimming light of a candle armed with surgical instruments and sketching materials, that Michelangelo honed and perfected his drawing skills. But don't get me wrong, of course, I'm not calling for everyone to follow in his footsteps, I mean in dissecting corpses. But, but, but this story shows that only by thoroughly studying anatomy can one achieve a realistic and lifelike depiction of the human figure. Dramatic poses and gestures, expressions of emotion, and everything else that makes art alive and authentic. The next thing Michelangelo can teach us is diligence. Diligence, determination, and fight. The fight against circumstances and against yourself. The fight against fear, failure, and setbacks. Before tackling the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo worked on creating a tomb for Pope Julius II, who greatly admired and was fascinated by the sculptor's work. At the same time, Raphael was working on the School of Athens in the Papal Apartments. Raphael's friend Abramant probably envied the Pope's admiration for Michelangelo's work and convinced Julius II that creating a tomb during one's lifetime was a bad omen, advising him to commission Michelangelo to paint the chapel. And this was a kind of, kind of provocation, since Michelangelo, unlike Raphael, was not skilled in fresco painting. For Michelangelo, it was a big challenge. He had to fight Raphael with a weapon he didn't know how to use. Michelangelo accepted this challenge and emerged victorious. This is how the long and intense work on painting the chapel began. Michelangelo had to work alone as his assistants messed up the colors at the very beginning of the work and the artists sent them away. It was really a very difficult period for Michelangelo and he suffered greatly. Michelangelo was completely unfamiliar with this activity and found no satisfaction in his work. However, his iron will, dedication to his work and belief in the importance of what he was doing allowed him to complete a work that will remain a masterpiece of world art for centuries to come. And now let's return to the space between God's and Adam's fingers. As I said, they do not touch because Adam's finger is not fully extended. God's finger reaches out to him, fully extended, demonstrating his love and affection for a man. This detail has a deep symbolic meaning. It demonstrates man's free will, freedom of choice. It shows that God is here and he is always here. He reaches out his hand to man and it's up to man to decide whether to go to him or not. And this is the third lesson from Michelangelo, a spiritual one. The master tells us about the constant presence of God and that we can always join him, we just need to fully straighten our finger. And whether to do this or not is up to each person to decide for themselves.