MICHELANGELO Buonarroti
(b. 1475, Caprese, d. 1564, Roma)

Separation of the Earth from the Waters (detail)

1511
Fresco
Cappella Sistina, Vatican

"And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas." (Genesis 1:9-10)

The foreshortened figure of the Lord is described by Vasari: "He is seen flying on the vault, a foreshortened figure which continually turns and changes direction as you walk through the chapel."