Preview

Sistine Chapel Analysis

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1450 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sistine Chapel Analysis
On the 10th of May 1508 I signed a contract to agree to fulfill Pope Julius'commission on painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I had bad feelings about thewhole thing from the day Julius commissioned me to paint instead of sculpt. I am anarchitect and sculptor not a fresco painter. It is not that I doubt my ability's to completesuch a task, but I believe that there are other artists that would be much better suited for the job than I. It is of course an honor to be chosen to paint such a ceiling and Julius isfar to stubborn to find anyone else but myself, so I will paint and I will make it one of thegreatest fresco paintings there will ever be.(Brandes, 254). The scaffolding that was to be used for the work was horrible. Bramante …show more content…
I will paint theCreation of Man and the Creation of the Universe, I will tie in the already existingfrescos on the walls to the ceiling frescos by painting events that preceded the two epochof Sub lege and Sub gracia. I will include in my masterpiece many dramatic biblicalevents such as: Separation of Light from Darkness; the Creation of the Sun, Moon andhe Stars; Creation of the Waters and the Creation of the Animals; Creation of Adam;Creation of Eve; Fall of Man and the Expulsion from Paradise; Sacrifice of Noah; Flood;and Intoxication of Noah. (Brandes, 260). I sent my assistants back to Florence because I knew that this was my vision andmy responsibility to paint this ceiling. I started today with The Drunkenness of Noah, itis so uncomfortable to paint in this position that I must be in to paint such a ceiling. Itsometimes makes me wonder why I am here. I will paint this ceiling, not for the popeand not for the Romans but for myself, to fell proud of my own work. To show the reality in this painting of Noah I will place him collapsed on theground next to a jug of wine. His sons will be around him giving him support andcomfort as he struggles to understand what God's plan is for him and his family. Noah issuch a peaceful man with a lot on his mind and this is how I will paint him. …show more content…
A great masterpiece such as this cannot beviewed by public eyes before it is finished, just as a pie cannot be eaten half-baked. Itgets worse with every day and every week I may have to give in to Julius and let him seewhat I have created so far. I have just finished what I feel to be one of my most beautiful works of art ever,The Creation of Man. It is such a simple painting filled with great action and meaning. Iwanted to show God as a human figure creating Adam in his own image. Thishumanization of the divine makes people feel closer to their god with a level ofunderstanding for each other. God soars above Adam with his hand outstretchedtouching the tip of Adam's hand to show the connection between man and God. It is myfavorite fresco that I have ever done. (Brandes, 260). Julius insisted once again that I take down my scaffold so that he may see mywork. I refused again and told him that I was not even half finished with the project, andif I was to show off an unfinished piece of art it would not be truly appreciated andunderstood. By this point Julius was enraged and threatened to throw me off thescaffold, so I gave in to the fool and allowed the scaffold to be torn
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The San Lorenzo Project: Michelangelo's Labors
    • 82 Words
    • 1 Page

    The San Lorenzo Project: Michelangelo's Labors

    While although Pope Leo X eventually cancelled the San Lorenzo project, Michelangelo’s labors are the labors of countless others who risked life and limb to get the marble out of the ground and transport it across land and water is truly worth noting. We rightly marvel at the great works of architecture from the pre-industrial world. We extol their design, their ingenuity in construction, and their durability. Perhaps we ought to marvel more that they even got any stone to the…

    • 82 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Joshua MacAnespie Art History Course Project
    • 1484 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Joshua MacAnespie Art History Course Project

    In this project, you will create and deliver a presentation that answers this question: Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and Diego Rivera’s murals reflect…

    • 1484 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Art/101 Axia Week 1 Assignment
    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Art/101 Axia Week 1 Assignment

    An artist assumes one, or a combination, of four roles when creating a work of art. These four roles are; 1) to help viewers see the world in a different way; 2) to create a record of the culture of their time and place; 3) to make working objects and buildings more enjoyable to look at and also to give them meaning; and 4) to give form to personal feelings, universal truths, immaterial things, or spiritual forces (Syre, 2010).…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Masaccio Vs Fresco
    • 1820 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Masaccio Vs Fresco

    Masaccio is a celebrated leading painter of the Italian Renaissance. The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden is one of his frescos. Painted around 1424-27, the fresco rest on the walls of the Florentine Brancacci Chapel. 1 (Fig 1.) It documents how Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden. Similar to Masaccio’s Expulsion from the Garden of Eden; Masolino's magnificent Renaissance fresco, Temptation of Adam and Eve, (Fig 2.) is also found in the Brancacci Chapel of the Santa Maria del Carmine Church.2 Both frescos are two of the most representative depictions of Adam and Eve, but Masaccio’s approaches of working on shadow, composition, expressions, color and symbols made his Expulsion from the Garden of Eden more unique at that time.…

    • 1820 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Unit 2 DB AIU Art Appreciation
    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Unit 2 DB AIU Art Appreciation

    In the quote above, Michelangelo describes his creation of a religious symbol. Discuss with your fellow class:…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Homework
    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Homework

    As the humanist scholar and literary historian Paolo Cortesi argued, “attractively designed and sumptuously executed” palaces served to bring “the ignorant mob” into submission to the Church’s authority and might. The fresco of Sixtus IV illustrates these aspirations. The room in which he and his retinue gather is richly appointed. Column capitals are trimmed in gold, the ceiling is coffered, marble covers almost every surface, and an elaborate Corinthian capital supporting a large, arched space in the background sits at the vanishing point of the painting’s carefully conceived perspective.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Sistine Chapel
    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Sistine Chapel

    The Sistine Chapel, one of the most iconic pieces of work Michelangelo ever did, and one of the most popular destinations in Rome. All of the ceiling and walls are covered in beautiful artwork. The panels done by Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Cosimo Rosselli, Biagio di Antonio, Bartolomeo della Gatta and Luca Signorelli (de Strobel) stand out, showing the stories of Moses and Christ. The ceiling of the chapel originally done by Pier Matteo d 'Amelia looked like a starry night. Then the nephew of Sixtus IV, Julius II della Rovere, brought in Michelangelo Buonarroti to alter the ceiling.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Humanism: Art In The Seventeenth Century
    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Humanism: Art In The Seventeenth Century

    During this time pieces of artworks were being produced at a strong rate. This was due that artists were gaining recognition over large areas. This new fondness of artwork that contained humanistic influences were new, and people were amazed by the style that had not been seen before in their lifetime. A large proportion of the artwork that was being made was made for the church and popes. One such artwork was the school of Athens, created by Raphael Sanzio, for the Apostolic Palace, in Vatican City. This work is of a grand scale in that was commonly taken on by the artists of the time. This particular fresco is 16’’5’ by 23’’ 3’ and is one of Raphael’s more famous works. Just by looking at this fresco you can see the strong influence of humanism. The theme itself is a strong give away, for it has a landscape full of philosophers from ancient times. As the lines of the fresco draw your eye the center of the landscape, you see two of the giants of ancient Greek philosophy Aristotle and Plato. One of the reasons that your eye is drawn toward the center of the painting is because Raphael was able to use the concept of using a vanishing point to make this 2d painting 3d. This use of vanishing point is not only what shows humanistic characteristics for the time, but the amount of detail that is put into every person and the landscape around them. From the detail…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Palomino Distinctively Visual Analysis Essay
    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Palomino Distinctively Visual Analysis Essay

    In the artwork The Immaculate Conception (Figure 1) painted by Antonio de Palomino y Velasco, the viewer is immediately drawn towards the most prominent figure in the painting. The features of Palomino’s work all direct the viewer towards the illuminated woman and the bird flying overhead in the center of the canvas. This painting utilizes creative elements such as perspective, lighting and colors, and shapes to accentuate the significance of the central characters in the foreground of the artwork.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Michelangelo Research Paper
    • 1782 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Michelangelo Research Paper

    In 1505 the Pope Julius II recalled Michelangelo to Rome for two commissions. The most important one was for the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. He worked high above the chapel floor, lying on his back on scaffolding painting for 5 years. Michelangelo painted some of the finest pictorial images of all time between "1508-1512." On the vault of the of the papal chapel, he devised an intricate system of decoration that included nine scenes from the book of Genesis, beginning with the God Separating Light from darkness and including the creation of Adam, the creation of eve, the temptation and fall of Adam and eve, and the flood. These centrally located narratives are surrounded by alternating images of prophets and sibyls on marble thrones, by other Old Testament subjects, and by the studies and cartoons, devising scores of figure types and poses. These awesome, mighty images, demonstrating Michelangelo's masterly understanding of human anatomy and movement, changed the course of painting in the West. Before the assignment of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in 1505, Michelangelo had been commissioned by Julius II to produce his tomb, which was…

    • 1782 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Influences Of Literature On The American Civil War
    • 1747 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Influences Of Literature On The American Civil War

    Literature on the American Civil War is very intriguing. The Civil War brought a highly desired end to slavery, but it also came with very undesired death and destruction. The Civil War changed how writers write forever. In the South pre-Civil War life revolved around agriculture, mostly on large farms or plantations where enslaved African Americans were forced to do most of the labor. In the North pre-Civil War, the soil and climate favored smaller farmsteads rather than large plantations, which didnt need slavery to operate them.…

    • 1747 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    High Middle Ages Religion
    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages

    High Middle Ages Religion

    Even though this is the Renaissance Era, there is still a lot of focus on religion, especially the church. Since the Renaissance Era came right after the Middle Ages Era, there was no way that the influence of Christianity would die out so quick. The intense religious practice is still around from the Middle Ages Era and so the Pope and the church still hold immense power. Pope Julius II wants to unite Italy under the leadership of the Vatican and show Europe the power of the church. He went and asked Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with religious themes since the chapel is often used for meetings and gather of the masses. Therefore, the pope can show his influence to the people. Michelangelo declined the offer at first, since he preferred to sculpt rather than to paint. However, since the church is an important patron for arts and was centered in Italy, Michelangelo had no choice but to comply. Painting the ceiling of the church was a hard and painful process. The ceiling is 700 square yards and in order to paint the ceiling, Michelangelo…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Museum Of Art Analysis
    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Museum Of Art Analysis

    I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with my mom and my sister. I didn’t quite enjoy it at first, but as I explored the museum more, I began to feel enlighten at the sight of the different forms of art. It was hard for me to choose just two pieces out of all the amazing sculptures and paintings in this museum. I finally made the decision to write about two different pieces, from two different cultures, time periods, and even mediums. The first piece I chose was a sculpture titled “Marble Statue of a wounded Amazon.” The second piece is a painting by Joos Van Cleave titled “The Last Judgment.”…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    St. Peter's Basilica Analysis
    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages

    St. Peter's Basilica Analysis

    However his most famous contribution to the church is perhaps the architectural ingenuity of the beautiful elliptical dome that crowns St. Peter’s Basilica. Though it wasn’t finished until after the great artist died, it was his plan that was used to build the great ceiling. His plan consisted of a double shell which would be more visible and offered better protection from the…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Art for Me?
    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Is Art for Me?

    Art has been created by all people at all times; it lives because it is liked and enjoyed. Art involves personal experiences of an individual accompanied by some intensity of emotion. Art is made of man, no matter how close it is to nature. Although each work of art is evidently the expression of an artists’ personal thoughts and feelings it may be inferred that, like any other individual, he belongs to a million, and he cannot free himself from the influence of his social, economic, political, cultural, geographic, scientific, and technological environment.…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics