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I think both are true to a certain extent. We admire the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel both for the idea and for the execution. If we learned that Michelangelo had hired an anonymous artist to do the physical act of painting according to his precise instructions, it might detract from some of the credit we give him, but it wouldn't detract from its beauty or value as a work of art.
Why don't we credit the ceiling to the Pope, then? It was his idea to hire a guy to paint it.

I think the question is: What level of detail would Michelaelangelo have needed to give the anonymous painter, in this story, for us to still give the creative credit to Michelangelo? If he micro-managed every brushstroke and color, then clearly it was his vision. What if he just said, I want this finger reaching out here and that finger there? Or just, hey paint Adam and throw in God, make it fit this ceiling, maybe tone down that blue a little?

When we say who "made" a movie, outside the movie business, it's usually the director we're talking about, not the producers. They had input, sure, but they didn't control every individual choice.

To keep the sweater analogy rolling, proof of effort is a real thing when you get a gift for someone. If you tell your secretary go buy a sweater for my wife, that's a lot less meaningful than if you go out shopping for it yourself, right?

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