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One of the most renowned artworks of the High Renaissance was done between the years of 1508 and 1512 by Michelangelo. It was done under the commission of Pope Julius II. The ceiling of the large Papal Church was built within the Vatican between 1477 and 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV – whom renamed it the Sistine Chapel. The chapel is the location for Papal Conclaves and other important services. Central to the ceiling decorations are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis – where the creation of Adam is best known. It is 40.5 meters long and 14 meters wide. The ceiling raises 20 meters above the main floor of the chapel. In order to reach the ceiling, Michelangelo designed his own scaffold, a flat wooden platform on brackets built out from holes in the wall by the top of the windows, rather than from the ground up which would have entailed a massive structure leaving the chapel unavailable for services. The main components of the design are nine scenes taken out of the Book of Genesis, of which smaller ones are each framed and supported by four naked youths. At both ends and beneath the scenes are figures of twelve men and women who prophesied the birth of Jesus. On the crescent shaped areas, above each chapel’s window are tablets listing the ancestors of Christ and accompanying figures. Above that in the triangular spandrels, are an additional eight groups of figures – but theses have no yet been identified with specific Biblical figures. The Scheme is completed by four large corner areas, each illustrating a dramatic Biblical story. The scenes from the Alter to the main door are 1. The separation of light and darkness, 2. The creation of the sun, moon, and Earth, 3. The separation of land and water, 4. The creation of Adam, 5. The creation of Eve, 6. The temptation and Expulsion, 7. The sacrifice of Noah, 8. The great flood, 9. The drunkenness of Noah. I really did enjoy going to see this. Everyone has always said if there is one thing you must do while you visit Rome – you have to go see the Sistine Chapel, and now I know why. This chapel has to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Most things when you look at a picture you can basically get the same affect, but this is totally different – you actually get blown away when you are standing there staring up at this beautiful piece of artwork that I would have never in a million year have been able to do.
Hillary Woodrow, Survey of Art and Architecture, Berkeley College
The Sistine Chapel_02
The Sistine Chapel is the last stop on the spectacular journey through the vast papal art collections of the Vatican Museums. The chapel was not just created for means to view Michelangelo’s work. Sixtus IV built the chapel in the mid 1470s, around the time of Michelangelo’s birth. It was intended for use as the pope’s private chapel and served over the centuries as a setting for various papal ceremonies. It has also housed the conclaves of cardinals that select the popes. The architect, Baccio Pontelli or Giovannino de’Dolci, designed the rectangular chapel to have frescoes on its walls and ceiling. Sixtus IV in the 1480s commissioned a group of artists to create frescoes illustrating the life of Moses on the left wall and scenes from the life of Christ on the right. These paintings are great examples of Early Renaissance are, but Michelangelo’s contributions overshadow them. The paintings on the ceiling, for Julius II, are among the masterpieces of Western art and considered Michelangelo’s greatest works. They cover 2,400 feet and are one of the largest frescoes ever painted. There are great colors of pale blues, oranges, yellows, pinks, greens, and lavenders. The message of the ceiling is powerful: human sinfulness and insufficiency require a savior and that savior is Jesus Christ. Michelangelo’s painting of the Last Judgment radically changed the atmosphere and theological meaning of the Sistine Chapel. It announces that the High Renaissance holiday is over. The Last judgment is not only about judgment and punishment but also about justice and redemption. I stood in awe just staring at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It was amazing to finally see the infamous work by Michelangelo. I had heard so much about it and seen so many pictures of it and it was great to finally see it in real life. It is stunning that one ceiling tells so many stories and has so much meaning to it. The detail and everything about it is spectacular.
Katie Whitmore, Survey of Art and Architecture, St. John’s University
Sistine Chapel_03
The original ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was blue with stars on it, which reflected the early Renaissance attitudes of self-confidence. However, Pope Julius II wanted to leave his mark and therefore commissioned Michelangelo to create a masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. At first, Michelangelo was reluctant to obey the Pope’s wishes because he considered himself a sculptor, not a painter, and wanted to continue working on Pope Julius II’s tomb instead. When he did accept the job, Michelangelo changed the original plans of painting the “Twelve Apostles” to the more impressive and magnificent “Creation”. Michelangelo laid on his back on scaffolding for four years working on this amazing feat, completed in 1512. The ceiling contains nine main scenes: “The Separation of Light and Darkness,” “The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Planets,” “The Separation of Land from the Sea” and “The Creation of Plants and Animals,” “The Creation of Adam,” “The Creation of Eve from Adam’s Rib,” “The Expulsion from the Garden of Paradise,” “The Sacrifice of Noah,” “The Flood,” and “Noah Drunk.” Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is my favorite painting of all time. The ceiling is incredibly gorgeous, detailed, and demonstrates Michelangelo’s genius artistic gift. I appreciate the fact that every single detail in his artwork has a meaning and I enjoy learning what each symbol means. For example, I noticed that in “The Expulsion from the Garden of Paradise,” Michelangelo depicts the evil serpent in the garden as a woman and I wondered why he painted the serpent this way. Turns out, Michelangelo was just following the popular views of his time period. The serpent tempted Eve and then shortly after that, Eve tempted Adam. Therefore, by drawing a woman-serpent Michelangelo identified both the source of evil and it’s own nature.
Katherine Latta, Survey of Art and Architecture, University of Florida
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