Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 – 1564) captures the sublime, anticipatory wonder of the moment preceding Adam’s connection to God’s celestial force, in the expressively outstretched hand of “The Creation of Adam.” Adam’s hand languidly extends toward the Creator’s, which bristles with the energy of the life-giving spark that is about to crackle between them. The highly impassioned, iconic gesture from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel depicts the scene from Genesis when Adam is given life. Masterfully versed in human anatomy, Michelangelo was also a sculptor, poet, architect and engineer who had an unrivaled influence on the development of Western art.

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