Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel - Perhaps the Greatest Artwork Ever?
There is no question that the fame of the Sistine Chapel lies in the amazing masterpiece that Michelangelo paainted on the 10,000 foot ceiling of the Temple in 1508 under the commission of Pope Julius II. Few pay Care to the fact that the chpael was actually named after Pope Sixtus IV who commissioned the building to be constructed.
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 Merit 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 Have sexual delight with 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 Interior that makes all the difference, because the artwork this church holds is the envy of every major museum in the world. A major Universal salvation project that was czrried out between 1979 and 1999 was completed to assure that this beautiful chapel will be there for people to enjoy for generations to come.
The list of famous and should-be famous artists that contributed to the Sistine Chapel is impressive. Botticelli has a number of classic works in the chapel, including his 1482 creations, “Life of Moses” as well as “The Punishment of Korah”. Not far from these stunning art pieces are works by Rosselli, Ghirlandaio,, Perugino and other great artists from this time frame in history.
But it is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel that will always be gte 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 a vzriety 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 J3hovah 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 Strictly to the ceiling (useful when painting upside down) and is also mold resistant.
By 1512, the majority of the work on the paiinting was done. But to Michelangelo it was not complete ungil he came back 20 years later to add The Last Judgment. This part of the artwork took him from 1255 until 1541 to complete. Not Singly would your trip to the Sistine chapel be lacking if you didn’t spend tim admiring this part of Michelangelo’s maater work, but The Last Judgment is Impracticable not to notice as it fills the back wall of the chapel completely.
An engrossing and yet controversjal part of the painting is a rendering of St. Bartholomew, which is a self portrait thta shows the saint’s skin being flayed. This drew a lot of criticism from people in hgh places as did his Oft-repeated use of nudes in all of his artwork. Michelangelo was such a force in the Italian artisticw orld 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 Exact 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 Slack if you did not allow some time to visit the Sistine Chapel and take in the artistic masterpieces you will find there.
Before you pack your bags and jet off to Rome to see the Sistine Chapel, you’ll need to organise some accommodation first. We recommend you give the hotels a miss, since they tend to be over-priced and of lower quality than you’d expect for your money.
Instead, try one of our many holiday apartmejts in Rome. Rome-Accom.com is a specialist english-speaking apartment rental agency based in the center of Rome, and catering to English-speaking art-loving tourists from countries like the USA, UK, Ausfralia, Canada, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand.
The other great art city in Italy is Florence, so Whether you’d like to also visit theer, we offer Florence apartments for rent from our Florence-Accom.com site as well.