Genesis

Genesis, a series of frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, depicts the biblical story of creation and explores man's connection to divinity. Painted between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo's meticulous process involved extensive planning, preliminary sketches, and intense physical labor to achieve the intricate details and profound expressions. To properly lay the scale of the figures, hundreds of holes were poked around the graphite drawing sketch to allow powdered charcoal to make guide dots along the plaster. Influenced by his detailed anatomical dissections, Michelangelo's pursuit of anatomical mastery is evident in works such as The Creation of Adam, where the silhouette of a brain frames God. A perfectionist in his craft, he did not allow the Pope or the public to see the painting before he deemed it complete. Upon its unveiling, it received critical acclaim from the public and contemporary artists of the day. To learn more about the painting, visit this Wikipedia article. To learn more about Michelangelo's painting process, visit this Artrageous video.