August 18, 2012

Creation of Fandom

In the beginning Man created God; 
and in the image of Man 

created he him. 


And Man gave unto God a multitude of 
names,that he might be Lord of all 
the earth when it was suited to Man 



And on the seven millionth 
day Man rested and did lean 
heavily on his God and saw that 
it was good.

(from the album 'Aqualung' by Jethro Tull)
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The Creation of Adam
By Michelangelo


Welcome back, friends. I have once again pillaged the catalog of classic imagery in order to find a victim for my latest riffing. This time I reached all the way back to around 1511, when the magnificent Michelangelo is said to have painted the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. Sure, there may have been dozens of students on their backs doing the actual work. Do we remember any of their names? Heck no. So credit goes to one man. I am ok with that. Let those hangers-on get their own shows. This is Micky's art.

The painting (victim?) this time is The Creation of Adam, one of the many frescoes adorning the Sistine Chapel. It is one of a series depicting events from the Book of Genesis. In it we see God in the moment just before giving life to a reclining Adam. It is beautifully done and is rivaled only by the Mona Lisa as one of the best know images in the world.

Some people believe that the red cloth surrounding God and the angels is a depiction of the uterus, trailing a severed umbilical cord in the form of a green scarf. I am in the camp that says this is a depiction of the human brain. In either case, Michelangelo would have taken the secret to his grave. Desecrating a corpse was grounds for capital punishment in his day.

It is this glorious piece which bears the brunt of my latest mockery. Those of you who know me will understand when I say that I did not choose this image;. It chose me. When asked to submit something for the Zepf Alt Gallery's upcoming 'Poor Sports' show, I went through various stages of several ideas before settling upon the following:

The Creation of Fandom
(acrylic on wood, approx. 36" x 30")

I am amused by the foam finger, despite having been exposed to it thousands of times in my short life. It occupies the humor wing of my brain's museum, alongside such classics as the Whoopie Cushion, the rainbow wig, and the rubber chicken. Truth be told, I am nothing if not easily amused. 

I did not take a 'perfect copy' approach to this painting. You may notice that the angle of the scene has been tilted somewhat, creating the balance I needed. This is due to my desire to use the frame shown. Thankfully, it works. Most viewers, I am certain, will know God's arm is on the right and, logically, should be elevated above the arm of Carl, super-fan, whose foam covered paw is on the left. Much like the brain/uterus symbolism of the original, a 'hidden' nod to the human body is present in my rendition. I wonder if anyone will catch it?