Image Details
Scala/Art Resource
Here, God creates the sun and the moon. God is seen twice. On the right, with a great rush of movement, God thrusts forward. With a mighty gesture of his right hand, he throws the sun into being and with his left hand, the moon. In the other half of the painting, God moves away from us, showing us his backside and the soles of his feet as he casts the moon into the heavens. The creation panels are framed by painted architectural moldings and robust nude sculptural figures. To the spectator standing below and looking up, the moldings give the illusion of an aperture in the chapel ceiling that allows a view of the heavens above. We the spectators become witnesses of God’s great creative acts.