Chiaroscuro Theology, Essay Example

Abstract

“The Creation of Adam” (viewable at http://www.thecreationofadam.com/) and “Last Supper” (viewable at  http://www.artchive.com/artchive/L/leonardo.html) are both famous Biblical paintings on the topic of God and men, but- like the artists who created them- they present two very different perspectives (TheCreationofMan.com, 2008; Beckett, 1997).

Review

Michelangelo Buonarotti’s “The Creation of Adam” is romantic. If you look closely, you see the wonder and the longing that separate the heaven and the earth. Notice how even the ledge’s outline seems to be pulling the two main figures apart, the grayness of the sky, the reluctant father-son letting go dynamic, the subtle shades of dark and light in Adam’s body, the chiaroscuro. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” invokes a different feeling of separation- that of a God among men. There are somber and lonely undertones despite the fact that the people in the foreground have pink, green, red, and blue wardrobes. Although da Vinci uses the sfumato technique there is a noticeable gap that isolates Jesus from the chaos of everyone around him. There is movement, and Jesus is still.

Both Buonarotti and da Vinci were very talented. Buonarotti painted on flat and curved surfaces and was well-known for his sculpting also; da Vinci’s technical and mechanical sketches are almost as famous as his paintings. This is clearly displayed in the intimate, 3-dimensional appearance of the people in “The Creation of Adam” and the distant, painstaking detail of “Last Supper”, such as in the elaborate geometric designs on the wall and the scenery in the background. The two focal points of the painting are the fingertips in “The Creation of Adam” and Jesus in “Last Supper” and are both near the center. They are arranged to draw your eyes in.

An artwork that communicates speaks to you. It is the result of thought. It inspires thought more as you examine it closely. Those are teasers of artistic communication and craft.

References

TheCreationofAdam.com, (2008). The Creation of adam by michelangelo. Retrieved from http://www.thecreationofadam.com/

Beckett, W.  (1997). Leonardo da vinci. Retrieved from http://www.artchive.com/artchive/L/leonardo.html/