The Creation of God 2017

Harmonia Rosales created this work, "The Creation of God," using oil on canvas. At first glance, we see a reimagining of Michelangelo's famous fresco. Rosales boldly replaces the original figures with Black women, challenging Western art history's long-standing exclusion of Black bodies. The composition retains the dynamic diagonal lines of the Renaissance masterpiece. However, the color palette shifts, enriching the tones and textures. The formal shift introduces new layers of meaning. Consider the semiotic implications of this substitution. The power structures inherent in the original image are destabilized. The figures—traditionally interpreted through a male, European lens—are here reimagined. Rosales introduces new interpretations of identity, representation, and cultural narratives. The familiar is re-framed, and the artwork disrupts established meanings through these striking visual and thematic inversions. Ultimately, "The Creation of God" functions as both a formal revision and a powerful statement, inviting viewers to reconsider not only the aesthetic, but also the cultural and philosophical constructs that inform how we see and interpret art.