Search results
Michelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling of The Sistine chapel are considered some of the greatest examples of Renaissance painting. There are over 300 figures depicting the stories from the book of Genesis. The series begins at the door with Noah and ends with the separation of Light from Darkness.
- The Commission
- Design & Technique
- The Story of Genesis
- Reception
The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace complex in Rome was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV (r. 1474-1481 CE). The building was only completed c. 1481 CE but the development of a massive crack in the ceiling in 1504 CE required a repair job that also offered an opportunity to add yet more artwork to an already impressive art-packed interior. What w...
Julius II and Michelangelo had already joined forces when the artist had been commissioned to produce the Pope's tomb. This project, begun in March 1505 CE, had not been a smooth-running one. Patron and artist had quarrelled over the grandiose design that once included 40 marble statues. Contracts were rewritten several times, the design made less ...
The ceiling is an almost overwhelming assembly of Christian imagery. Along the sides of the ceiling are seven prophets and five sibyls, which alternate. According to the Christian tradition, both these groups foretold the coming of Jesus Christ. The five sibyls are representations of those from Delphi, Cumae, Libya, Persia, and Erythrae. The seven ...
The work was an immediate success with almost everyone who saw it but there were some rumblings of discontent. The main objection was the amount of nudity and particularly the depiction of genitalia in a handful of figures. This did not stop Michelangelo later being commissioned to paint the entirety of one wall of the chapel with his version of th...
- Mark Cartwright
Michelangelo, The Deluge, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, 1508–12, fresco (Vatican City, Rome; photo: Michelangelo, CC0) In this fresco, Michelangelo has used the physical space of the water and the sky to separate four distinct parts of the narrative.
- 'The central Idea was to portray reverence and beauty for the chapel- I think.'
- If you look carefully, you'll notice that most of the columns on the ceiling are not actual columns -- they're _painted_. Most of the ceiling surfa...
- Great question! The four pendentives represent the salvation of the Jewish people. The Vatican has a little information here: http://mv.vatican.va/...
- because its the biggest art form that is still here since 1500s. Also right now the pope can be voted for in there so...
- It is located in the smallest independent country on earth, the Vatican.
- That information can be found at the bottom of the page on Smarthistory.org
Aug 7, 2024 · Michelangelo - Sistine Chapel, Renaissance, Art: The Sistine Chapel had great symbolic meaning for the papacy as the chief consecrated space in the Vatican, used for great ceremonies such as electing and inaugurating new popes.
The Sistine Chapel ceiling (Italian: Soffitto della Cappella Sistina), painted in fresco by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, is a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art. The Sistine Chapel is the large papal chapel built within the Vatican between 1477 and 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV , for whom the chapel is named.
Apr 9, 2009 · The 34-year-old Michelangelo was renowned for such statues as David and the Pietà, and he regarded his Sistine Chapel commission from Pope Julius II with the utmost suspicion. In fact he believed...
People also ask
What makes Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel so special?
Who painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling?
Why was the Sistine Chapel important?
What did Michelangelo sculpt on the Sistine ceiling?
Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. by Christine Zappella. God created the world in seven days, but it took Michelangelo four years to depict it on this remarkable ceiling. Michelangelo, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, 1508–12, fresco (Vatican, Rome). Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker.