The Creation of Man by Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564) was an Italian painter, architect, and sculptor.  Similar to Leonardo da Vinci, he also displayed an expertise in several fields of science and the arts.  Widely known for this work, the PIETÀ,  a sculpture of Christ after the crucifixion in the arms of his mother Mary, and the Final Judgment,  which depicts the Second Coming of Jesus, and the Creation of Man.  Both the Final Judgment and the Creation of Man are located in the Sistine Chapel, the Pope's residence at the Vatican City.  In 1508, the Pope, Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to adorn the chapel with illustrated stories from the Bible, book of Genesis.  The work was completed in 1512.
     The Creation of Man(Adam) was created using a painting technique called fresco which  involves using water based pigments laid directly on to newly placed plaster or gypsum. The painting is conceptually based on a passage in Genesis 1:27,  "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."  Upon reading the passage, any reader would conceptualize a image of God carving into a slab of earth to create Adam.   But it seems Michelangelo has taken the concept of man's creation a step further.  "Michelangelo takes these words, and expresses, in his own way, the supreme creative moment when "man became a living soul" (Hurll, Estelle, Kindle Location 646).  Like da Vinci, Michelangelo places the subject in action. This is shown with the use of gestures, God's extended finger toward Adam.

Sources:

Hurll, Estelle M. (Estelle May) (2011-03-30). Michelangelo A Collection Of Fifteen Pictures And A Portrait Of The Master, With Introduction And Interpretation (Kindle Locations 646-647). Kindle Edition.   

Symonds, John Addington (2012-05-12). The Life of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Kindle Edition.