Art through the Ages

 

Art through the Ages

Michelangelo. (1512). The Creation of Adam [Painting]. Retrieved from https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2020/07/the-future-of-the-humanities-is-not-an-adjunct-fueled-decline/reaching-hands-close-up-detail-from-the-creation-of-adam-of-michelangelo-fresco-detail-illustration-repro-on-plaster-wall-background/.

Since the birth of humanity, people have been creating things. Sometimes, the creation may have been splatters of clay on a rock wall. In another age, it may have been a painting inside a church, with vibrant colors, shapes, and brushstrokes sweeping across the canvas. Today, creating something might just mean doodling in the corner of a notebook page during a long class lecture. Still, each one of these is valid and beautiful in its own way.

One more recent archeological finding shows how people have been making art for ages. Pallab Ghosh writes about this discovery in his article, “World’s oldest cave art found showing humans and pig” for BBC. The painting is thought to be many thousands of years old, and depicts humans and animals together, displaying the human capacity to create symbolic art (Ghosh, 2024). So long ago, humans were able to model their own reconstructions of reality. 

Another famous art piece is from the 16th century. Michelangelo, the Italian artist, finished painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Florence, Italy in 1512. The chapel hosting The Creation of Adam and a multitude of other scenes is a sacred site—for artistic and religious reasons alike. Writer Paul Barolsky discusses the genius of the extraordinary work in his article “The genius of Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” and the blindness of art history.” He comments that the piece is so much more than just a simple painting meant to represent figures seen in real life. The Creation of Adam is a work of art that seeks to illustrate spiritual doctrines, to bring to life abstract thoughts and lofty ideas (Barolsky, 2013). 

A student’s doodle in class will likely not replace works like The Creation of Adam or the historic early cave paintings. So why should we even try at all to create art? The answer varies by person, but that is part of what makes art so special and even revolutionary. Each person has a different view of life, experiences, ideas, and memories that shape them and their desires. In choosing to create art, people can transform their unique abilities and ideas into something tangible and inspiring.

References

Barolsky, P. (2013). The genius of Michangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” and the blindness of art history. Notes in the History of Art, 33 (1). 21-24.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/23595750.

Ghosh, P. (2024, July 3). World’s oldest cave art found showing humans and pig. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0vewjq4dxwo.

Michelangelo. (1512). The Creation of Adam [Painting]. Retrieved from https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2020/07/the-future-of-the-humanities-is-not-an-adjunct-fueled-decline/reaching-hands-close-up-detail-from-the-creation-of-adam-of-michelangelo-fresco-detail-illustration-repro-on-plaster-wall-background/.