The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Vegetation

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The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Vegetation
Michelangelo, Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants 01.jpg
Artist Michelangelo
Year1511
Type Fresco
Dimensions280 cm× 570 cm(110 in× 220 in)
Location Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Vegetation, (sometimes The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants [1] or The Creation of the Sun and the Moon) is one of the frescoes from Michelangelo's nine Books of Genesis scenes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. It is the second scene in the chronological sequence on the ceiling, depicting the third and fourth day of the Creation narrative.

Fresco Mural painting upon freshly laid lime plaster

Fresco is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall. The word fresco is derived from the Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh", and may thus be contrasted with fresco-secco or secco mural painting techniques, which are applied to dried plaster, to supplement painting in fresco. The fresco technique has been employed since antiquity and is closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting.

Michelangelo Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known best as simply Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance born in the Republic of Florence, who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. Considered by many the greatest artist of his lifetime, and by some the greatest artist of all time, his artistic versatility was of such a high order that he is often considered a contender for the title of the archetypal Renaissance man, along with his rival, the fellow Florentine and client of the Medici, Leonardo da Vinci.

Book of Genesis first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament

The Book of Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, is Judaism's account of the creation of the world and the origins of the Jewish people.

On the left side of the painting God is depicted from behind, extending his arm towards a bush, alluding to the plant world. On the right side another image of God points towards the Sun with his right hand and toward the faint Moon with his left. His face expresses the force needed for the creation of the abode of living beings. The abstract patterns of drapery emphasise the motion of both figures of God.

Drapery depiction of the folds and woven patterns of loose-hanging clothing on the human form

Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles. It may refer to cloth used for decorative purposes – such as around windows – or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothing, formerly conducted by drapers.

The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Planets is featured on the postage stamps of Vatican City (issue of 1994) and India (issue of 1975).

The painting before the restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes Michelangelo Buonarroti 018.jpg
The painting before the restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes

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References

  1. "Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants". Web Gallery of Art. Retrieved 13 Jan 2014.