‘This is the famous one, The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo,’ intones the guide. ‘You are shown how God, floating in the heavens after creating man, releases him down upon Earth. You see the pain in the separation between God and man, see how their fingers don’t meet after God has transmitted life into him, how the realm of God appears widespread, while that of man’s Earth is limited, and the level of man is lower than that of God’s— it suggests the superiority of God to man…’
‘If you were to hide the figure of Adam in the painting, then, who would imagine the unseen heaven, and who would be left to call the man above him God?’ Shiva challenges him.
‘But why would anyone want to hide Adam? I didn’t get your question, sir.’ The guide looks thoroughly out of his depth. One of the women in the group draws a bit closer to Shiva, looking at him curiously.
‘You made Adam inferior, finding him at the lower level in the visual, and treating Earth limited vis-à-vis the widespread heaven,’ retorted Shiva. ‘I feel man and God are on an equal footing, as God needs Adam to call Him God, and heaven needs Earth to exist; to me it just depicts the descent of man from heaven to Earth.’
The guide looks askance; Shiva can understand his embarrassment. He is not here to take such queries.
‘Excuse me,’ the woman approaches him with a gentle smile, reducing the volume of the audio.
‘Yes…’ Shiva says, smiling back while removing his earplugs.
‘That was really a good question,’ she comments.
‘You know, The Creation of Adam remains one of the most discussed works of art; it has invited various interpretations, and I was trying to figure out one of them.’