in ‘the creation of adam’, Man lies back indolently, reaching out idly in response to the forwards-thrusting touch of divinity, well within reach but lacking the drive to take it, representing the naive state of original mankind, unburdened by consciousness or desire.
In this fascinating modern take, however, the artist instead shows Man as a driving force, frantically throwing aside all barriers and restrictions in pursuit of his goal: a goal which remains impossible to reach. Fast food, representing compromise for survival in the face of an uncaring and overstressing world, hangs awkwardly in the center of an uncrossable abyss. Note the use of highly-rendered tensed musculature to imply physical effort, emphasized by the contrast with loose, hanging fabric, and also the lack of effort on the part of the employee: She is trying, and were she reach out just a little further, then through their collaboration would Man attain his goal. But, the strictures of her position allow only a certain amount of human generosity and kindness. The structures we build as humanity prevent us from doing all that we can to help one another, and this remains true even when presented with a fellow human willing risk death, to survive.
