Description
The Separation of Light from Darkness is the first of the nine Genesis scenes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling and also the last one Michelangelo painted, probably in the summer of 1512: God rises with his arms above his head and pushes light and dark apart. The original is a fresco in the plaster directly above the altar, high above the chapel floor. Our painting shows an upright, close-up detail of God alone; our painter paints it for you by hand in oils on canvas, in 5 portrait sizes from 40 x 49 to 69 x 85 cm or made to measure, and we send you a photograph of your finished painting before dispatch.
| Title: | The Separation of Light from Darkness |
| Other titles: | La separazione della luce dalle tenebre · Die Trennung von Licht und Finsternis |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) |
| Year painted: | 1512 |
| Original size: | about 180 cm x 260 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Fresco |
| Painting style: | High Renaissance |
| Located at: | Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, Vatican City |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 5 sizes or made to measure |
The Separation of Light from Darkness – Michelangelo
What does The Separation of Light from Darkness show?
There is no one in our painting but God, seen close up and slightly from below. He lifts both arms high over his head, palms open and fingers spread, as if shoving the clouds aside. His right hand reaches into the dark zone on the left, while his left hand plunges into white, swirling vapour at the top.
His head is sharply foreshortened and wedged between the raised upper arms. You can make out grey hair and a grey beard, but the face is turned into the light.
A rose-red mantle wraps the body and twists in broad, soft folds around the chest, belly and hips, as though a strong wind were filling it. The background splits in two: dark, violet-brown mists on the left, and pale, almost white vapours on the right and above, turning in circles.
Which Bible passage lies behind it?
The scene follows verses 3 to 5 of the first chapter of Genesis. God says “Let there be light”, sees that the light is good and divides it from the darkness; he calls the light day and the darkness night.
Michelangelo tells this moment without a crowd of details. There is no landscape, no animal and no human figure, only a single form that splits the world into two halves.
Why is this fresco so admired?
First of all because it was painted last. Michelangelo worked through the nine scenes in reverse order, from the entrance towards the altar, and by the time he reached this field it was already 1512.
He is reported to have painted the fresco in a single working day, one giornata. God is seen from below, using the technique called sotto in su, which foreshortens a figure so that it seems to rise above the viewer’s head. The body stands in contrapposto, as in his marble David.
Giorgio Vasari, Michelangelo’s pupil and biographer, wrote in 1550 that here God appears in all his majesty, holding himself up alone with open arms. Some modern writers see a hidden drawing of the brainstem in the unusual lines of God’s neck, but that remains a theory.
Where is the original, and how was it made?
The original is on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michelangelo painted the ceiling between 1508 and 1512 for Pope Julius II, and this scene sits directly above the altar.
It is a fresco: the colours were laid into fresh, damp plaster on the curved vault, high above the visitors’ heads. On the ceiling four painted nude youths and two medallions imitating bronze frame it.
The first half of the ceiling was unveiled on 14 and 15 August 1511 and the whole ceiling on 31 October 1512. The restoration that ran from 1980 to 31 December 1989 removed candle soot and old varnish and brought back brighter colours; some critics argued that part of the detail added on dry plaster was lost in the process.
The composition, its history and the theories about hidden anatomy are set out in detail in the English Wikipedia article devoted to this fresco itself.
This scene or another Michelangelo?
The Separation of Light from Darkness is a canvas painting for anyone who wants one strong gesture rather than a story with many figures.
If God in motion appeals to you, the same ceiling offers two more creation scenes: The Creation of the Sun and Moon, where God appears twice in a single field, and The Separation of the Earth and Waters, where he flies straight towards the viewer. Calmer is The Creation of Eve, in which God stands firmly on the ground.
From the same ceiling comes The Prophet Jonah, one of the great prophet figures along the edge of the vault. Every one of the famous Michelangelo paintings in our range, ceiling scenes and panels alike, is listed on the Michelangelo page.
How is our version made in oil?
Let us be plain: the original is a fresco painted into the plaster of the Sistine ceiling, and ours is a Michelangelo reproduction painted by hand in oils on canvas. The painter starts only after you order and builds it up layer by layer.
First he sets down both raised arms and the head between them, because the whole force of the gesture depends on those distances. Then he lays the dark left side in deep violets and browns, and the pale swirls on the right and above in whites and warm greys.
Oil gives the colours more depth than the matt, chalky surface of a fresco, and this oil painting reproduction looks its best in side light, which brings out the brushwork in the clouds.
Which size is right for your wall?
In short: 40 x 49 or 48 x 60 cm for a narrow wall, a hallway or a bedroom, 55 x 66 or 60 x 78 cm above a chest of drawers or a desk, and 69 x 85 cm as the main piece in a room.
We paint the scene in 5 portrait sizes (width x height): 40 x 49, 48 x 60, 55 x 66, 60 x 78 and 69 x 85 cm. The fresco on the ceiling is a landscape field and far larger, about 260 cm wide and 180 cm high; our largest size is 69 x 85 cm, so each of our paintings shows a close detail of God rather than the whole field.
As a painting for the living room, 69 x 85 cm works best on a wall of its own or beside a window.
Can I order another size or a frame?
Yes. If you need different proportions, we adjust the detail so that both arms and the head stay on the canvas. Send us the size you have in mind and you will receive a price and a delivery date.
We ship the painting rolled, on a stretcher bar or already framed. Our workshop in Slovenia stretches and frames every canvas. You choose the frame in our 3D app, which is only for picking a moulding; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
A dark wooden frame or a slim moulding in antique gold suits the red mantle and the dark ground.
When will it arrive, and how is it shipped?
The painter starts once you confirm your order, and the painting is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before we pack it, we send you a photograph of the finished painting and change anything you ask for.
Within Slovenia and to the rest of the EU there are no customs duties, and our returns policy covers every order.
The Separation of Light from Darkness makes a fitting gift for someone starting something new: a new home, a new job, a new chapter. If you do not know their walls, a wall art voucher lets the recipient pick the size.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is the original?
On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, directly above the altar; you see it on a visit to the Vatican Museums.
What is God doing in this scene?
With raised arms he divides the light from the darkness, as the opening of the Book of Genesis tells it.
Is this a print?
No. You receive a hand-painted copy, made by our painter with brush and oil paint.
How big is the fresco on the ceiling?
The field is about 260 cm wide and 180 cm high; our largest size is 69 x 85 cm.
Could the scene be painted in proportions you do not list?
Yes. Tell us the width and height, and we will send you a quote with a price and a date.
How long do I wait for the painting?
Expect 15 to 45 working days, and a photo of your finished canvas arrives before we ship it.
Will it suit a bedroom or a home office?
Yes, the smaller portrait sizes sit well above a bed, a desk or on a narrow wall beside the door.
Why was the first scene painted last?
Michelangelo painted the ceiling from the entrance towards the altar, so the first scene of the story came at the very end.
- Subject: God with raised arms divides light from darkness; dark mists on the left, pale swirling clouds on the right.
- Original: fresco, 1512, Sistine Chapel ceiling above the altar, Vatican; the field is about 260 cm wide and 180 cm high.
- Ours: painted by hand in oils on canvas, an upright detail, 5 sizes from 40 x 49 to 69 x 85 cm, or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: the first scene of the creation story but the last Michelangelo painted on the ceiling, reportedly in a single day.
