As the Medieval age came to an end, the Renaissance Era marked the start of the changes in religious and philosophical ideologies, especially because of the new discoveries in science that made a major impact on how people perceived and analyzed reality. Renaissance was a time for revolutionizing how people think and see life, which conflicted with the Church’s religious asceticism. For example, a new aesthetic thinking of the time was humanism. Humanism is the belief that the humankind has potential of solving their own problems and relying primarily upon reason and science. With this humanist philosophy, man’s relationship with God and the universe was no longer the exclusive province of the Church. Personal ideologies of Renaissance artists differed from the Church. The artists wanted to embrace the aesthetic sensibilities while the Church demanded asceticism. Thus, the artists had to compromise and combine the two into their artwork. Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci reveal the synthesis of religious asceticism and secular aestheticism through their art. For example, the “Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel is a famous example of aesthetic beauty intertwining with religion. There are three aspects in this painting: religious, scientific and philosophical. The most obvious religious aspect of this fresco painting is that it is on the ceiling of a chapel. Also, the painting illustrates the Biblical story of God breathing life into Adam, the first man. However, the painting shows the realistically portrayed nude Adam with his arm stretched out, almost as if reaching for God as God is passing the spark of life to Adam. The outstretched right arm of Adam and God are almost mirrors of each other, a reminder that Adam is created in the image of God. The nudity of Adam is the purity, the holiness and the ability to discover the infinites of the world, including science. Many have theorized that the background figures around God and God itself is portrayed accurately as the human brain, since Michelangelo had many well-documented expertise on the human anatomy. In a philosophical perspective, the separation between God and Adam symbolizes man’s independence in the Renaissance Era. The separation of Adam and God may not be a separation but a connection between man and science. Society during this time period has evolved with the changing religious and philosophical ideologies.
The three aspects you described, religious, scientific and philosophical, accurately portray the painting of this era. The idea conflict between the artists and the church altered how art is created. Like you said, artists, during this period of time, are only allowed to paint subjects of God and not allowed to explicitly express humanism; however, they are able to convey ideas through the philosophy of their painting. In fact, the famous "Creation of Adam" indeed had deeper meaning and philosophy. It not only showed subjects of Christianity, it also conveyed scientific ideas and the philosophical perspectives. The infinite of the universe, an idea that no one dared to think or allowed to think, is expressed in this piece of art. And the separation of man and God portrayed in the paining can be viewed as the independence of men. You have done a great job capturing the scientific ideas and the philosophical perspectives Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam." And these ideas and perspectives are the basis of Renaissance era, an era that gave birth to the discovery of science and independence. I truly enjoyed your synthesis. Good Job!
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