| The Sistine Chapel -
Michelangelo's Most Magnificent Commission
It was Pope Sixtus IV who commissioned and gave the name to
the Sistine Chapel. But it was in 1508 that Pope Julius II
gave the chapel worldwide fame when he commissioned the amazing
Italian artist Michelangelo to paint the 10,000 square foot
ceiling with his creative frescoes.
On your way to view the Sistine Chapel and its amazing ceiling,
you'll find many other amazing artistic delights. Nearby to
the Chapel is the Vatican Museum - a marvel that should require
you to spend at least 1 - 2 days exploring its treasures. Also,
St. Peter's Basilica (with its magnificent Dome) contains Michaelangelo's "The
Pieta" - another treasure of the great artist himself.
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 the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel that will always
be the primary draw of visitors of all religions and nationalities.
Before Michelangelo began his work, that ceiling was decorated
with a simple painted stars pattern. It took the master four
long years of tedious and painful work to transform that ceiling
into the masterpiece that is there for our viewing today.
Michelangelo used as subjects for his painting many stories
and characters from the Old Testament of the Hebrew and Christian
Bible. The panels seem to burst with life with pictures of
Sibyls, the prophets, various nude males and Noah. But there
is no question that the image that is the most moving is that
of Jehovah himself, reaching to mankind in the form of Adam
to give life to his creation through the touch of a finger.
Since the Vatican ordered the painting restored and cleaned
in the 1990s, it once again explodes with the colors that the
great master wanted us to see. The great thinker Goethe wrote
the following words concerning the painting on the Sistine
Chapel ceiling:
"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form
no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."
To accomplish this amazing task of painting the Sistine Chapel,
Michelangelo had to design a new kind of scaffold to accommodate
his needs. The paint nearly blinded him as he labored tirelessly
on the project. And he had to use his impressive abilities
to devise new innovations to get the job done, including a
new kind of plaster which became known as intonaco. This new
plaster resists mold and holds paint in place well which was
crucial to the success of the Sistine Chapel. Intonaco is a
plaster that is still very useful in modern building projects.
The bulk of the work on the Sistine Chapel was done by 1512.
But Michelangelo had more to share so he returned to the site
twenty years later and he created The Last Judgment between
1535 and 1541. So be sure you bring your eyes down from the
ceiling to take in this second masterpiece inside the chapel
that covers the wall behind the alter of the church.
An engrossing and yet controversial part of the painting is
a rendering of St. Bartholomew, which is a self portrait that
shows the saint's skin being flayed. This drew a lot of criticism
from people in high places as did his frequent use of nudes
in all of his artwork. Michelangelo was such a force in the
Italian artistic world that he won the fight to keep his artwork
as he created it but sadly much later the paintings were marred
when the genitals of the nudes was painted over.
Art lovers or just curious tourists alike cannot possibly
stand in the presence of such greatness and not be moved. So
as you plan your trip to Rome, you would be remiss if you did
not allow some time to visit the Sistine Chapel and take in
the artistic masterpieces you will find there.
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