75. Sistine Chapel ceiling and altar wall frescoes Vatican City, Italy. Michelangelo. Ceiling frescoes: c. 1508-1510 C.E Altar frescoes: c. 1536-1541 C.E., Fresco (4 images)

 Video on Khan Academy  Cornerstone of High Renaissance art  Named for Pope Sixtus IV, commissioned by Pope Julius II  Purpose: papal conclaves an many important services  The Last Judgment, ceiling: Book of Genesis scenes  Other art by Botticelli, others and tapestries by Raphael  allowed Michelangelo to fully demonstrate his skill in creating a huge variety of poses for the human figure, and have provided an enormously influential pattern book of models for other artists ever since.  Coincided with the rebuilding of St. Peters Basilica – potent symbol of papal power  Original ceiling was much like the Arena Chapel – blue with stars  The pope insisted that Michelangelo (primarily a sculpture) take on the commission  Michelangelo negotiated to ‘do what he liked’ (debateable)  343 figures, 4 years to complete  inspired by the reading of scriptures – not established traditions of sacred art  designed his own scaffolding  myth: painted while lying on his back. Truth: he painted standing up  method: fresco . . . had to be restarted because of a problem with mold o a new formula created by one of his assistants resisted mold and created a new Italian building tradition o new plaster laid down every day – edges called giornate o confident – he drew directly onto the plaster or from a ‘grid’ o he drew on all the “finest workshop methods and best innovations”  his assistant/biographer: the ceiling is "unfinished", that its unveiling occurred before it could be reworked with gold leaf and vivid blue lapis lazuli as was customary with frescoes and in order to better link the ceiling with the walls below it which were highlighted with a great deal of gold’  symbolism: Christian ideals, Renaissance humanism, classical literature, and philosophies of Plato, etc.  40.9 meters long x 14 meters wide x 13.4 meters high  illusion of additional architectural elements altar wall frescoes  Video at Khan Academy  The Last Judgment

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