A Sculpture of Adam by Tullio Lombardo Essay

What are the hidden meanings within Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam? Is there significance in God and Adam’s stretched hands? Several art historians analyzed this particular aspect of the fresco, and believe it to have deeper meaning; while many found significance in the nude figures next to and around God. Each interpretation came about using a different methodology, explained in detail below. While all of these interpretations are valid and offer special insight into the fresco, they are not based in objective reason. In this essay, I will explain the significance of their stretched fingers using simplified mathematics.

In this essay, I will compare and contrast two different sculptures from two different contexts of art. The first being an Olmec Colossal head (monument 1), from the context of “Art of the Americas,” and the second sculpture being ahead from Rafin Kura. The head from Rafin Kura comes from the context of “Art of Africa.” Both sculptures come from two different time periods and parts of the world. They also are both made with natural materials and have their own symbolic meaning.

During my visit to the Tampa Museum of Art, I observed and viewed various pieces from The Classical World exhibit. While I observed numerous works, I was drawn to a specific piece due to its uniqueness when compared to the other pieces in the exhibit. In this paper, I will be describing The Torso of Aphrodite, using my own viewpoints and the elements of formal art analysis, in order to explain the uniqueness when compared to other pieces in The Classical World exhibit.

Modern figurines of art stem directly from the hands of the ancient’s. The organic forms of modernly sculpted artifacts can most likely be directly referenced to the movements of prehistoric artworks. There seems to be an ongoing transition on how cultures no matter how stretched apart through time, contrasted by ethnicity or religious views; can all be somewhat related to each other by the methods or principles portrayed through their artworks. In fact, I saw that very transition; within two works in which are extremely different in meaning, craftsmanship, time, culture and so on. However, I was still able to find similarities within the artifacts. In this paper I will examine Venus of Willendorf, a Paleolithic carving in limestone; which can fit in the palm of one’s hand. As well as, The Sacrifice of Chacmool, which are a plethora of Mesoamerican statues emulating rituals of sacrifice.

During my visit to the Tampa Museum of Art, I observed and viewed various pieces from The Classical World exhibit. While I observed numerous works, one sculpture stood out when I compared it to the others. In this paper, I will be describing The Torso of Aphrodite, using my own viewpoints and the elements of formal art analysis in order to explain its’ unique qualities that make it different when compared to other pieces in The Classical World exhibit.

On September 4, 2016, I visited the Matisse in His Time exhibit at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. This exhibit is home to a plethora of pieces by many different European artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. While it is focused on Matisse and his extensive works, containing more than 50 of his pieces, there are many portraits and sculptures by other influential artists from that time period including Renoir, Picasso, and Georges Braque. Three of the most appealing works that I encountered in this exhibit are Maurice de Vlaminck’s Portrait of Père Bouju, Pablo Picasso’s Reclining Woman on a Blue Divan, and Henri Matisse’s sculpture series Henriette I, Henriette II, and Henriette III.

“Because of his sin, death came upon all men, ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). His sins caused death and pain to all of humanity. In his article writer Noel Scoburgh wrote that Adam may have been tempted to disobey God because he lacked humility and his pride as a human got in the way 4. Like many other people, Scoburgh believes that Adam ate from the tree because he wanted to be all knowing and knowledgeable like God 4. He wanted to be God.

Our world is full of so many grandiose monuments, eye-catching sculptures, and stunning statues, each having an individual story to tell. Thousands of them have been created however, only a small number of them are actually extraordinary and picture-worthy. This paper will compare and contrast two of those picture-worthy sculptures. Furthermore, I will examine the aspects of each of these sculptures. I will compare and contrast what each of them represents, the differences in texture, their size and their tone.

In the story Adam and Eve were let to be living in the Garden of Eden, where God had created one of everything. He created many fruits and vegetables, animals, plants, and trees. It was first Adam’s job to take care and live in the Garden of Eden, till one day God saw that Adam was lonely so he took matters into his own hands. God created Eve out of Adam’s rib, that’s how Eve began to live in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was Adam and Eve’s home and it was beautiful. Till one day God and Jesus had come over to the garden to talk to Adam and Eve and what he was expecting for them to do while they lived there. There were many trees in the Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve could eat from and take care of. God had told Adam and Eve that they could eat fruit from all the trees but one. It was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, it was the center tree of the garden. God had said if they ate fruit from that tree that they would die and have to leave the Garden of Eden. If they didn’t eat fruit from that tree they would be able to live in the Garden of Eden forever.

Unfinished works convey certain meanings about the individual who made it. The lack of finishing the work is sometimes intentional, like Michelangelo’s work named “The Awakening Slave” and his other famous statues. In Michelangelo’s case, by not finishing his work, he conveyed to his audience the struggle of mankind. Since the statue is underneath unfinished carved pieces of stone, it appears that the man in the statue is bearing the weight of the stone. Since Michelangelo and other artists have chosen to carve unfinished works in this way, perhaps they are feeling the way that the statue depicted feels. The artist is suggesting that the incompleteness adds something to the work and reveals their struggles. By uncovering different parts of the body, as viewers of the artwork, we can explore the human anatomy. We are able to see how the artists used different techniques to contribute to the sculpture.

Both Adam and Eve were tricked into believing that the fruit will present them with a more fulfilling existence, but instead it proved lacking and disappointing. Furthermore, the narrator soon after says, “ Thousands of greedy individuals abandoned their sweet native hexagons and rushed upstairs and downstairs, spurred by their vain desire to find their Vindication.” (Borges 115) The “greedy individuals” the narrator speaks of are a symbol of humankind’s dissatisfaction with its existence, and its constant need to search for something more divine. Thus, the narrator describes Adam and Eve’s fall from Grace, which was “spurred by their vain desire to find their Vindication.”

I created a parody of The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo by juxtaposing the original painting with an altered version inspired by the philosophies of Ralph Waldo Emerson in Self Reliance. The purpose of this text type was to create a culture of people who embrace questioning one’s belief as a healthy part of religion which allows more in depth understanding. The text type is structured in a way that allows questioning and strong faith to be overlaid mutualistically to show that it is possible to doubt of religion without sacrificing faith. This idea can sometimes appear contrary to a fundamentalist perspective that approaches spirituality with a more literal and legalistic attitude; Therefore, the purpose of the text type was to suggest a

Just as other works that reflect art, pieces in the category of fine arts serve the important message of passing certain messages or portraying a special feeling towards a particular person, function or activity. At times due to the nature of a particular work, it can become so valuable that its viewers cannot place a price on it. It is not the nature or texture of an art that qualifies it, but the appreciation by those who look at it (Lewis & Lewis, 2008).

Adam and Eve are tall and erect like the trees, pure and nude, uncovered like the rural landscape. Adam's hair cut short, almost as if the pair had pruned it. Eve's body seems to be supported by the garden, but her hair is described as wild, unadorned and wanton, not unlike the landscape outside of Eden: "Steep wilderness, whose hairy sides/ With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild..." (IV, 135-36).

Milton describes the garden of Eden with exceptionally detailed language and does an exquisite job of portraying his vision of paradise in his writing. Satan journeys to Earth and lands on Mount Niphates were he overlooks paradise. As he draws closer and observes the perfection of Eden, he is enraged by the obvious love for Adam and Eve, who were the reason behind God creating the garden. The perfection of the garden reveals of God’s favor for man and his benevolence for the tender human beings that he carefully created in His own image. Throughout Milton’s writing, he details of the luscious fruit, the magnificent the playful animals living in harmony. There are rolling hills and beautiful waters.The flowers are exotic and alluring. No