Introduction
There are numerous art works that have been considered popular and noteworthy as these have been created by famous artists through time. Two (2) of these famous artists were Michelangelo Buonarroti and Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, or more popularly known as Masaccio. One of the most renowned paintings of Michelangelo until contemporary times is The Creation of Adam ; while that of Masaccio is The Tribute Money . The current discourse hereby aims to present a comparative analysis of these two (2) works of art, specifically noting compelling differences or similarities that distinguished them from others.
Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam
The work of Michelangelo entitled The Creation of Adam is described as a fresco painting which was noted to be “forming part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted circa 1511–1512. It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God breathes life into Adam, the first man” . The painting showed two (2) major images: that of God, the creator, and Adam, the first man. God’s image is surrounded with 12 angels and they are apparently floating; yet encapsulated by a flowing cloth. Only God is clothed in white garment. The angels were depicted in different sizes, representing various stages of development: majority were interpreted as exemplifying child-like features while some were embodied in adult-forms. The focal point in the painting is the seemingly touching pointing fingers of God and Adam, which could be interpreted as the point when God gave Adam his life.
The viewing public is held mesmerized in Michelangelo’s creation, particularly the magnanimity of the images. Since these images were painted in the Sistine Chapel, the audience could image the challenges encountered during the creation of this art work. According to Graham-Dixon, “Michelangelo never wanted to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. He was daunted by the difficulty of the task” (1). The images were realistic, bearing colors that depict man’s images. The entire body of Adam, for instance, were painted with clear similarities to the image of man, especially carefully emphasizing muscles, bone structures, hair, and facial expression. Concurrently, God’s image also similarly exemplified close similarities to an old man with white hair and long white beard. God’s limbs and arms were also carefully painted in close resemblance to real physical features. It could be interpreted that God was being accompanied, or even carried, by the twelve (12) angels. These angels also bear similar resemblance to man’s features; while one (1) seemingly adult angel who supported God’s left hand could actually be a female with her blond hair tied neatly on her head.
The backgrounds were emphasized in terms of colors that were used. Adam seemed to be leaning on the ground, to what was depicted as the Earth; while God and His angels were floating on a white background, depicting the heavens. The magenta cloth which served as the encapsulating medium for God and His angels provided the highlighting emphasis to distinguish sovereign and heavenly images. As learned, “it has been observed that the red cloth around God has the shape of a human uterus (one art historian has called it a "uterine mantle"), and that the scarf hanging out, coloured green, could be a newly cut umbilical cord" . In retrospect, Michelangelo’s style in painting The Creation of Man exemplified realistic grandeur.
Masaccio’s The Tribute Money
Concurrently, the work of Masaccio entitled The Tribute Money was described as a “a fresco by the Italian renaissance painter Masaccio, located in the Brancacci Chapel of the basilica of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, and completed by his senior collaborator, Masolino” . The painting showed 17 images in total. A total of 15 images have halos. As such, it could be interpreted that these images were those of Jesus and his disciples. All were wearing garments and cloaks which were representative of the traditional garments of men during those times. The images of the disciples were all shown barefoot. They have different colors of their hair, from white, blond, brown, and dark brown. Some of the images have beards. In addition, viewers could observe that there were images depicted as pointing their fingers to the left, as if responding to the person, whose back is on the viewers’ eyesight, seemingly asking for directions. It was learned that “as the tax collector confronts Jesus at the entrance to the Roman town of Capernaum, Jesus directs Saint Peter to the shore of Lake Galilee” .
On the other hand, the two (2) other men without halos could be interpreted as those associated with collecting taxes. They were seen to be wearing a shirt bonded at the waist with long sleeves. However, they were apparently seen as not wearing any underpants.
The colors used for the garments were predominantly different shades of pinks, oranges, tan, and blue. The nearby background at the back of the images was a concrete structure of a building; while the farthest background were mountain ranges. Some trees were also shown but only one tree was seen to bear some leaves. The mountain ranges seemed to be covered with snow, as it was painted in white; while only the nearby mountain range seemed to be depicted as bearing the color of green in light shade.
Comparative Analysis
In comparing these two (2) works of art, one would initially stipulate that they bear similarities in religious themes, with stories that could have been sourced from the Bible. Likewise, they were both classified as frescos and under the Renaissance Christian art (Graham-Dixon; Klein). Michelangelo’s art work depicted the creation of God of the first man, Adam; while Masaccio’s work was about Jesus and the tax collectors. However, Michelangelo’s work was inspired from the old testament; while Masaccio’s work was inspired by a story from the new testament.
There were also similarities in depicting the images in the most realistic form. The exception is the depiction of Masaccio where images showed halos on their heads. These were more of interpretations on the part of Masaccio to indicate that most of the disciples were currently known to have become saints or holy men.
The disparities are in the use of colors, where Masaccio’s work used more lively colors in using shades of pinks and oranges. While they also share similarities in using colors such as blue, white, brown, and green. In addition, as learned, Masaccio’s style was noted as the use of single-point perspective, described as “the use of atmospheric, or aerial perspective. Both the mountains in the background, and the figure of Peter on the left are dimmer and paler than the objects in the foreground, creating an illusion of depth” . In contrast, Michelangelo’s work provided little opportunity for showcasing depth, except for the images of the angels which differentiated their distances from each other.
Also, it was revealed that the work of Masaccio had been restored several times since there were fires that apparently destroyed the chapel . As noted, “the paintings had suffered some irreparable damage though, particularly the parts that were painted a secco: in The Tribute Money, the leaves on the trees were gone, while Christ's robe had lost much of its original azure brilliance” . The same was also true for the work of Michelangelo which apparently underwent restoration for cleaning the images and to apparently remove “some of the “modesty drapes” that had been added to Michelangelo’s work” .
Conclusion
A comparative analysis of two (2) famous works of arts created by Michelangelo and Masaccio had been effectively presented. Their famous art works formed part of the Renaissance Period and were both classified as frescoes. Despite disparities in these works in terms of predominance in colors used, as well as in creating backgrounds showcasing distance and depths, several similarities in themes and styles were also identified. The greatness in these works could be attributed to the artistic interpretation and renditions of the artists, in style and expressions. The images that were created were visually realistic and aptly provided an interesting understanding of the stories told in the Bible. These two (2) works of art also survived the tests of time.
References List
Graham-Dixon, A. Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. Skyhorse Publishing, 2016. Print.
Klein, F. S. Gardner’s Art through the Ages: Backpack Edition, Book 4. Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Szalay, Jessie. "Sistine Chapel: Facts, History & Visitor Information." 30 October 2013. livescience.com. Web. 2 February 2017.
World Heritage Encyclopedia. CREATION OF ADAM. World Library Foundation, 2017. eBook.
—. THE TRIBUTE MONEY (MASACCIO). World Library Foundation, 2017. eBook.
