P3 Team2 Synthesis

Artists of the time period, specifically, Da Vinci and Michelangelo, could not overtly include secular ideologies into their art, but subverted pure religious ideology by creating their paintings with incredible realism and a more characteristically “human” approach. Michelangelo, for example, in his work, “The Creation of Adam”, which depicts God giving life to Adam through a touch, would seem to be exclusively religious, but is fact very secular, not only from the humanist style of the painting, but also the subject matter. The style of the painting is more natural is the sense that color and line were no longer exclusively used separately: color was now used to represent line and contour, and gave the painting a much more secular feel. While the creation of Adam is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Bible, and Michelangelo presents it in a very anthropomorphic way, as both God and Adam are outstretched to each other, perhaps symbolizing closeness between man and God that goes beyond mere fear and respect, as the church would have it. Another Michelangelo painting, “The Fall From Grace”, depicts Adam and Eve succumbing to temptation and consequently being banished from the Garden of Eden. The subject matter of the painting is representative of the changing view on religion; “The Fall From Grace” explores one of the most deeply human parts of religion: Adam and Eve made an ethical decision without God’s knowledge, that is to say that God had no effect on their choice, only the consequence. This is very different from the jealous and vengeful God of the Catholic Church, and reflects the changing ideologies of the time period.