According to a new theory, Michelangelo secretly modeled his depiction of God after himself in his masterpiece ‘The Creation of Adam’. Painted on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, the iconic fresco is one of the most reproduced works of religious art of all time. In the legendary work, God is depicted as a bearded old man with his legs crossed and his arm outstretched, giving life to Adam, the first man according to the Book of Genesis.
The theory, published in the peer-reviewed art journal Art critic in December 2022 and reported by the the wall street journal last week, has been met with both support and resistance from art scholars since its release. The author of the article is art historian and Michelangelo expert Adriano Marinazzo, curator of special projects at the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Virginia at the College of William & Mary.
At the center of his complaint, Marinazzo points to a letter that the Italian artist wrote to his friend Giovanni da Pistoia while he was painting the ceiling of the chapel. In the margins of this letter there is a sketch of an individual standing with his left leg slightly crossed in front of the other and painting what appears to be a face above his head.
This drawing, which has been presumed by many scholars to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo working on the ceiling, is kept in the Buonarroti Archive in Florence. Several years ago, Marinazzo personally studied the original sketch, among other archival documents. Fortunately, he also has digital copies of the entire collection in his office.
Marinazzo explained that he made his most recent discovery while developing a curriculum for a new course on Renaissance art and computer-generated 3D modeling. Throughout his career, the researcher has regularly relied on “visual literacy” tools, like digital models, to carry out his research.
“As I wanted students to learn how to present and summarize their ideas and research with a single image, I thought of my previous comparisons to Michelangelo: the architectural outline of the Sistine ceiling And the sculpted profile on the facade of the Palazzo Vecchio“said Marinazzo Hyperallergic.
“While considering additional effective comparisons, I thought of Michelangelo’s self-portrait in the Buonarroti Archive,” he continued. “I used the computer to compare the drawing and the fresco, and the magic worked!”
This example is not the first time that Marinuzzo has made a revolutionary discovery related to Michelangelo. In 2013 he discovered what he claims is the first architectural sketch of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Additionally, in 2020, he uncovered evidence that the master artist was behind a well-known mysterious sculpture on the facade of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
In response to skepticism of his latest guess, Marinazzo is unfazed. “I typically publish my studies in rigorous, blind-reviewed journals; some of my ideas have been accepted, but others will take longer,” he said. “It’s not a problem. I like to research and try to say something new; that’s my reward.
“I want to emphasize that Michelangelo was a very sophisticated intellectual who hid his sources and his ideas,” Marinazzo continued. “I think he’s still ‘playing’ with us!”
