THE SISTINE CHAPEL 
by Theresa Fay

  

The Sistine Chapel was built between 1475 and 1483 for Pope Sixtus IV (1473-84) by Giovannino de' Dolci. Some of the great artists who designed the walls of the Sistine Chapel were Sandro Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pinturicchio, and Luca Signorelli.  The walls were decorated according to the partition of the world history into three eras: the first era was before the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, the second between Moses and Christ's birth, and the third was the Christian era thereafter. The second and the third eras have been represented in the Quattrocento frescoes on the Chapel's side walls with stories drawn from the life of Moses and Jesus Christ.  

  

In 1508 the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted by request of Pope Julius II, then covered by golden stars on a blue sky. The ceiling measures 40 by 130 feet with the center of the curved ceiling more than 60 feet above the floor creating a space of 5000 square feet.The artist, Michelangelo, chose the first era as the theme of his work. 

 

  

  

Michelangelo Di Lodovico Buanarroti Simoni
 As a sculptor, architect, painter, and poet, Michelangelo (1475-1564) put forth an immense dominance on his age, and was later talked about to be one of the most inspired creators in the history of art. Michelangelo was considered to be one of the most powerful painters in the Italian high renaissance era.  

  
The Sistine Chapel was one of Michelangelo’s most famous works. It is known that Michelangelo did not really want to paint the Sistine Chapel, and that sculpturing was Michelangelo’s true love. Pope Julius II requested Michelangelo to Rome for two assignments; the most important one was for the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Pope Julius' dictatorial power forced Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel. Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo painted some of the greatest images of all time.  

  
Some of the paintings Michelangelo illustrated on the vault of the Roman church chapel were arranged in a tangled order of images that consisted of nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, the Creation of Eve, the Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Flood. Surrounding these paintings in historical order are various images of prophets and sibyls on marble thrones, by other Old Testament subjects, and by the ancestors of Christ. In all, 336 figures were counted on the 1,300 square meters of the ceiling that Michelangelo painted.  

  

In creating the paintings Michelangelo used outstanding forms, surging with extreme energy, immense with life through such methods as using frescoes (which is the art of painting in plaster.) Another procedure Michelangelo used was called pozzolana (lime with water and volcanic ash.) Michelangelo would spread a layer of pozzolana for a day of work, and then begin to paint. With this combination and with the carbon dioxide in the air, it would essentially create limestone. Pigment bits that were trapped in the limestone lent their colors to the surface. Michelangelo then used a hog-bristle brush to create his work of art. 
  

After visualizing different types of figures and poses and using many figures and cartoons Michelangelo started on his task of painting the Sistine Chapel. These impressive, powerful representations, which established Michelangelo's skillful understanding of the structure of the body and movement, made many onlookers take a close look at Michelangelo’s paintings and work. Theologians and critics will always analyze, debate, and study the importance of the frescoes used by Michelangelo. 

  
Michelangelo beautified the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in four years which was carefully documented by the Vatican and Michelangelo assistants. Along with present accounts and the artist's own writing, these documents give us a true portrait of the young painter and his talents as a painter. 

  What Michelangelo Thought

After Michelangelo had finished his work on the Sistine Chapel he wrote a poem of his agony during the painting of this Sistine Chapel. 
 
 

I've got myself a goiter from this strain, 
As water gives the cats in Lombardy 
Or maybe it is in some other country; 
My belly's pushed by force beneath my chin. 

  
My beard toward Heaven, I feel the back of my brain 
Upon my neck, I grow the breast of a Harpy; 
My brush, above my face continually, 
Makes a splendid floor by dripping down. 

  
My Lins have penetrated to my paunch, 
My rump's a crupper, as a counterweight, 
And pointless the unseeing steps I go. 

  

In front of me my skin is being stretched  
While it folds up behind and forms a knot, 
And I am bending like a Syrian bow. 

  
And judgment, hence must grow, 
Borne in mind, peculiar and untrue; 
You cannot shoot well when the gun's askew. 

  
John, come to the rescue 
Of my dead painting now, and of my honor; 
I'm not in a good place, and I'm no painter.
 

Michelangelo did not really want to paint the Sistine Chapel and yet he did such a remarkable job. Imagine what the Sistine Chapel ceiling would have looked like if the creator had really wanted to paint it.  

  

First-hand Account
I conducted an e-mail interview with fellow student, Jean Zinnen, who visited the Sistine Chapel last summer. I was interested in what she thought after visiting the Sistine Chapel. The first question I asked was what it was like to visit the Sistine Chapel?  

"Initially you got through the Vatican museums. These were very interesting. You go through hallway after hallway of beautiful tapestries and paintings. They have so much art they take it for granted. There are no humidity controls windows are open, sun is shining on the tapestries. You could touch them if you wanted. Very strange after going to all the museums in the states where there is no touching allowed. There are also many, many people. I had never seen so many nuns and priests. Anyhow you keep going down these hallways and then through doors to a climate controlled room. No pictures allowed. Masses of people but still you were able to focus on the paintings. We took a book in with us and identified the parts of the painting." 

  
The second question I asked Jean was what was it like to go and see history?  

 
"The history of Rome and the Vatican is unbelievable. I am not a particularly religious person but you could not help but feel there. Again though, the people live with it all and have come to the point where they can't afford to keep up and respect it all. It was overwhelming. I will tell you the "The Last Judgment" had the most effect on me." 

  
I then asked Jean why "The Last Judgment" had the most effect on her.  
  
"Because it depicted his own turmoil with his faith. IT is the souls of the dead rising up to face the wrath of God and that was rare for alter decorations. The people who commissioned it were also offended by the nudity. But most significant to me is that Michelangelo's self portrait is on the skin held by St. Bartholomew. I was mesmerized."