The Sistine Chapel: The Building and the Artwork

The Sistine Chapel

Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.
(Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1787 in Rome)
The Sistine Chapel, originally constructed in the late 1400’s underwent multiple periods of construction and reconstruction, with both the building and the artwork. It was designed to be the primary site of all papal ceremonies. (Lewine) Though the exterior is merely a rectangle, it is the artwork within that is the main attraction. In the next several paragraphs, the reader will gain a general understanding of the layout of the Chapel, with particular emphasis into the role Michelangelo Buonarroti played. The Sistine Chapel was built between 1475 and 1483, in the time of Pope Sixtus IVdella Rovere, to whom it owes its name. The original decoration of the walls included the Stories of Moses and of Christ, and the portraits of the Popes. A starry sky was detailed on the ceiling, but was replaced when it became damaged. (Esaak) An interesting fact about the Chapel is that the frescoes alternate walls because Moses is thought to prefigure Christ, and “reading” them in pairs helps to better see the meaning. (Lewine) The painting crew, members of the High Renaissance, included Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Cosimo Rosselli. (Kren and Marx) It was not until 1508 that Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned to paint the ceiling and the lunettes located on the upper part of the walls. (Van Cleave) He was actually called away from his work on the Pope’s tomb and was upset about the disruption, as Michelangelo believed himself to be a sculptor, and not a painter. His characters are so well depicted that no one but a sculptor could have detailed them so perfectly. Ironically, the work he had originally hated so much became his most exquisite and best-known. (Kren and Marx) The North Wall series depicts the Stories of Christ. It originally featured eight panels, but the first, painted by Perugino, was later destroyed to accommodate Michelangelo’s Last Judgment. The panels now begin with the “Baptism of Christ,” followed by the “Temptations of Christ,” the “Cleansing of the Leper,” the “Sermon on the Mount,” the “Handing Over of the Keys,” and “The Last Supper.” (Van Cleave) The final installment of this series is located on the entrance wall. At the bottom of each panel is a false curtain, which were tapestries designed by Raphael for important ceremonies, that depicted events from the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. (Paolucci) Opposite the North Wall, lies the South Wall, which also lost one of its original eight frescoes to the Last Judgment. Aside from the original lost fresco of the “Birth and Finding of Moses,” this series includes the “Journey of Moses in Egypt,” “Events in the Life of Moses,” the “Crossing of the Red Sea,” “Handing Over the Tablets of the Law,” “Punishment of Koran, Dathan e Abirah” (which is a rare scene), and the “Legacy and Death of Moses.” (Paolucci) Obviously, these paintings are all closely related to the caretaker Moses that God elected for his chosen people, the Israelites. This ties in to the lunettes that Michelangelo would later paint of the ancestors of Christ.
The final fresco of both the Moses and Christ series’ are presented in the Entrance Wall, the “Resurrection of Christ” and the “Discussion over the body of Moses.” Due to the door collapsing in 1522, and destroying much of these frescoes, the works visible today are replicas from the late 1570’s. (Van Cleave) Just as before, there are Popes portrayed up high and false drapes down low. (Paolucci) Also visible from the main Entrance is the little-known marble mosaic floor design.
Michelangelo was the responsible artist for the over 5,000 square feet of ceiling artwork, which took him just over four years to complete, from 1508-1512. (Paolucci) This amazing exhibition of art covers so much material, including some of the most famous scenes from the Chapel. The main panels down the center of the ceiling feature scenes from the Book of Genesis, including the Separation of Light from Darkness, Creation of the Sun, Moon and Planets, Separation of Land from Sea, Creator of the Universe, the Creation of Adam and Eve (often seen as the touching of two fingers), Original Sin and Banishment from the Garden of Eden, The Sacrifice of Noah, The Flood, and The Drunkenness of Noah. (Van Cleave) This series is meant to represent the stages of creation, from a Biblical perspective. The World and Man is first created, then Man falls short of God’s expectations, then God cleanses His creation for a fresh start. Just outside of these scenes, in the area designated as the webs or lunettes, are the Prophets and Sibyls intended to foretell the coming of the Messiah. (Paolucci) The large spandrels, or Pendentives, in the corner display miraculous salvation of the beloved Israelites in ancient times. (Kren and Marx). Additionally, scattered throughout are smaller nude figures holding medallions with text from the Book of Kings. (Paolucci)
In 1536 when Michelangelo was 60 years old, he was called back to paint the Last Judgment now seen on the West Wall. This section would complete the theme of the Chapel with a depiction of the final salvation and damnation of God’s original creation. (Barnes) It is believed that this was a pessimistic response to the Sack of Rome. One author notes that it is her opinion that Michelangelo was aware of the sophistication of his audience, and that is why this painting is more confusing that his others. He was aware of the audience’s familiarity with the subject, so he played with common misconceptions. (Barnes) He distinguishes between the saved and damned with alternate sides of the fresco. The damned are withering downward on the right, while the innocent ones ascend to Heaven on the left. A major debate was sparked with this work due to the blatant nudity of the subjects, and a pupil of Buonarroti was later selected to paint cloths over many of the men and women. (Barnes) As noted previously, the painting of this scene resulted in the destruction of two episodes from the Lives, several of the Popes and two sets of Ancestors. It also covered two of the windows, and two of Raphael 's tapestries became redundant, though they were later stolen anyway.
There are many misconceptions about Michelangelo and his work in the Sistine Chapel. It is important to note that Michelangelo was not originally contracted for the final enormity of this project. The Pope actually asked him to paint the Twelve Apostles and a few ornaments on the ceiling of the Chapel. Once he began the project, he realized he was not impressed with it, and after appealing to the Pope, he was recommissioned with full creative license on the artwork. (Lewine) Also, though many are unaware, Michelangelo did not paint the ceiling laying flat on his back, though he did bend over rather far on occasion. To overcome the awkwardness of his positioning, Buonarroti designed a unique scaffolding system to accommodate the curvature of the ceiling. It is difficult to believe that one man created these works in their entirety, but Michelangelo went to great lengths to make it appear as though he did. Though many assistants were employed, he was sure to dismiss them regularly so that none could claim any work as their own. (Esaak)
In conclusion, the Sistine Chapel is an important landmark and a natural art museum. It took 66 years in total for its construction and artwork to be completed, and still undergoes restoration today. Though it is the cumulative effort of many artists, its theme is united in purpose. Ultimately, it is a dedication to the Divine Creator, and a narration of His Messengers, His chosen people, and the Final Judgment of us all. Though a “picture may be worth a thousand words,” I believe Johann Wolfgang was correct when he stated that one can never truly contemplate what Man is capable of until this beautiful structure is seen in person. Perhaps the artists themselves are an unspoken testament to this profound theme.

Works Cited:
Barnes, Bernadine Ann. “Michelangelo 's Last Judgment: The Renaissance Response.” University of California Press, 1998
Esaak, Shelley. "Michelangelo - The Sistine Chapel Ceiling." About.com:Art History. 2003. 10 Feb 2009 .
Kren, Emil and Marx, Daniele. "Visit to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican." Web Gallery of Art, 2009. 10 Feb 2009 . < http://www.wga.hu/tours/sistina/index_c.html>
Lewine, Carol F. “The Sistine Chapel Walls and the Roman Liturgy,” University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993.
Paolucci, Antonio. "Sistine chapel." Vatican Museums Online. 2009. Vatican Museums. 10 Feb 2009 .
Sporre, Dennis J. Reality Through the Arts 6th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc, 2006.
Van Cleave, Claire. Master Drawings of the Italian Renaissance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007.

Cited: Barnes, Bernadine Ann. “Michelangelo 's Last Judgment: The Renaissance Response.” University of California Press, 1998 Esaak, Shelley. "Michelangelo - The Sistine Chapel Ceiling." About.com:Art History. 2003. 10 Feb 2009 . Kren, Emil and Marx, Daniele. "Visit to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican." Web Gallery of Art, 2009. 10 Feb 2009 Lewine, Carol F. “The Sistine Chapel Walls and the Roman Liturgy,” University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1993. Paolucci, Antonio. "Sistine chapel." Vatican Museums Online. 2009. Vatican Museums. 10 Feb 2009 . Sporre, Dennis J. Reality Through the Arts 6th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc, 2006. Van Cleave, Claire. Master Drawings of the Italian Renaissance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007.