Why did Michelangelo make the later Genesis scenes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling simpler and larger?

As Michelangelo progressed with the Sistine Chapel ceiling, he gained confidence in the medium and shifted his approach to the Genesis scenes. While his initial compositions were smaller in scale and featured numerous figures engaged in complex narratives, he later simplified these scenes by limiting them to a few essential figures rendered on a monumental scale.12

This stylistic evolution served two primary purposes:
* Readability: The larger, simplified figures were much easier to view and interpret from the chapel floor.1
* Emotional Impact: By focusing on essential figures and reducing extraneous detail, Michelangelo was able to imbue the later scenes with greater emotional force.1

In these final frescoes, such as those depicting the separation of light from darkness and the formation of the heavens and earth, the imposing figure of God dominates the composition, conveying the narrative through powerful, clear gestures.1