Was The Sistine Chapel Michelangelo's Best Work Ever?
by: JillianKammer |
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Even though the Sistine Chapel was named after the Pope who commissioned its construction, Pope Sixtus IV, the real fame of the chapel came to it much later when Pope Julius II commissioned an artist by the name of Michelangelo to take on the job of putting a painting on the 10,000 foot Sistine Chapel ceiling.
But there is a lot to learn about this beautiful building that you can enjoy during your visit to Rome and Vatican City. For example, the chapel is not far from the Vatican Museum, which is an attraction entirely worth taking a day or more to see what it has to offer. Also the famous St. Peter's Basilica is walking distance from the Sistine Chapel, and there you can enjoy another magnificent Michelangelo creation "The Pieta," and you can also admire the dome of the Basilica, which is a masterpiece of architecture in and of itself.
The actual chapel is not that large, at 135 feet wide by 44 feet tall. But it's what is on the inside that makes all the difference, because the artwork this church holds is the envy of every major museum in the world. A major restoration project that was carried out between 1979 and 1999 was completed to assure that this beautiful chapel will be there for people to enjoy for generations to come.
In addition to Michelangelo, many renowned artists are on display in the Sistine Chapel. Botticelli's art works are on display there including his well known "The Punishment of Korah" and the 1482 "Life of Moses". But a few steps away, you can also view works by true masters of the Renaissance period such as Ghirlandaio, Perugino and Rosselli.
But it is that magnificent ceiling that will hold your eyes for as long as you can look up. When the Pope commissioned Michelangelo to do this work, all that was there was a bland display of painted stars. It took Michelangelo four long and hard years of intense labor to complete his masterpiece. But the outcome is stunning, as he transformed that ceiling into a magnificent nine-panel master art work that is beyond compare.
Michelangelo used a variety of stories from the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible to fill his painting with prophets, Noah, Sibyls, unnamed male nude figures and even the most famous segment showing the almighty God Jehovah touching his finger to Adam to bring mankind to life.
The restoration that was done in the late 20th century brought back the stunning colors that most consider to be the work of one of the finest painters ever known. The writer Goethe described the ceiling beautifully when he wrote:
"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."
Michelangelo spent 4 years on a custom designed scaffold while painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The paint nearly made him go blind, and he had to design a dozen new inventions or improvements on (then) current technology to finish the job. As just one simple example, he invented a new kind of plaster - intonaco - which is still used today. It has a much improved ability to hold the paint properly to the ceiling (useful when painting upside down) and is also mold resistant.
Michelangelo finished his master work in 1512 but in his mind, he was not done. Twenty years later he returned to the Sistine Chapel to paint one more installment of his vision. It was entitled "The Last Judgment" and it took the master from 1525 to 1541 to finish it. So be sure you look for that artwork as well. It will jump out at you when your eyes come down from the ceiling as it fills an entire wall behind the alter of the chapel.
The Last Judgment had many challenging and fascinating concepts presented in artistic form, including a self portrait depiction of St. Bartholomew having his skin flayed. During his lifetime, Michelangelo endured much criticism for his work, particularly for his use of nudes in his paintings. While his stature allowed Michelangelo to win against his adversaries, sadly after his passing, many of his paintings were marred by censors who went back and blotted out the genitals of those nudes.
Even tourists for whom great art is not a passion will come away awe struck by the Sistine Chapel ceiling. And when you go home from your time in Rome, you will know that your trip was complete because you took the time to see this great masterpiece in the only place it will ever be shown, on the ceiling of this ancient chapel.
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