The Michael Angelo Painting...the GAP

A man from The Journey showed his college daughter the image we used for our connecting with God series…she offered this observation as a USCD Art History Major and I asked permission to post her thoughts:

[from Serene]
My not so official guess/opinions about the gap between the
outstretched fingers…

God is making an effort, fully outstretched… while adam is less
aware and less intentional… his whole posture is accidental versus
God’s which is on purpose. In other words, with very little effort he
can reach out & touch God… or, God goes the distance to initiate,
but gives us room to respond.

The gap is a tension of negative space, an opportunity, an incomplete
narrative, that creates expectation/desire in the viewer.

God’s finger of creation… references the power of God to create
(i.e. God kicks ass with his little finger)

Compositional focus: The lighter background in the middle serves to
“highlight” the connection point between the other two backgrounds
(earth & heaven). The theological connection point is in Jesus, the
new adam, which is also referenced here.

aren’t artists amazing? they can put a whole historical conversation
into one 2-dimensional visual piece… totally wordless, yet very loud
that anyone can engage.

Serene