Enlightenment is my first (and currently only) stone sculpture. I spent over 600 hours and 6 months creating it!
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Making and Meaning
It’s a playful, modern twist on a famous work of Michelangelo’s — The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel. In that painting, Adam extends his left arm, God extends his right, and their fingers almost touch. The painting is famous in part for the gap between the two, that small but uncrossable chasm between humanity and the divine.
This sculpture is a “what if” inspired by Michelangelo’s masterpiece. What if Adam and God connected? I sculpted Adam’s arm with the impression of God’s hand on it, as if God locked arms with Adam and is pulling him upward. This is deliberately provocative and left open to interpretation. For those who are religious, this may embody spiritual revelation, with the supernatural looking impression befitting the hand of God. For those aren’t religious, this may manifest just the sensation of a higher power, where what’s notable is the absence of the hand. Regardless, I hope this piece captures the feeling of enlightenment, that sense of reaching greater insight, of being pulled up from above.
For a deep dive on the making and meaning of the sculpture, check out the video below:
Pictures
Here are some more images of the piece:
