The Sistine Chapel by Michaelangelo Buonarroti
Years ago, very few people were allowed to learn to read and write. Access to books was only given to a select few. In order to teach their people about the word of God, churches would commission (hire) artist’s to paint frescos or sculpt statues relating to stories in the Bibles. Some of the greatest museum’s are the churches of old. These paintings are from the beginning of the Renaissance Era (1450-1600) in which human knowledge and inventions grew by leaps and bounds thanks to a few Renaissance Men, like Leonardo Da’Vinci and Michaelangelo Buonarroti.
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litania przeniesienie ciala (litany of saints)
Click the arrow above to listen to ambience music while you watch this slide presentation of Rennaisance Art.
One of the more famous chapels with frescos is in Rome, Italy. It is called the Sistine Chapel. Built between 1475 and 1483 in the time of Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere. This is the Pope’s Chapel. It is a rectangular shape measuring 40.93 meters long by 13.41 meters wide, the exact dimensions of the Temple of Solomon as given in the Old Testament. It is 20.70 meters high and is roofed by a flattened barrel vault, with little side vaults over the centered windows. These vaults are what gives the roof it’s strength. The architectural plans were made by Baccio Pontelli and the construction work was supervised by Giovannino de’ Dolci. The first Mass in the Sistine Chapel was celebrated on August 9, 1483.
The wall paintings were executed by artists Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli, Luca Signorelli and their respective workshops, which included Pinturicchio, Piero di Cosimo and Bartolomeo della Gatta. Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned by Pope Julius II della Rovere in 1508 to repaint the ceiling; the work was completed between 1508 and 1512. He painted the Last Judgement2 over the altar, between 1535 and 1541, being commissioned by Pope Paul III Farnese 1
2Baigio da Cesena, a papal master of ceremonies, criticised Michelangelo’s work saying that nude figures had no place in such a sacred place, and that the paintings would be more at home in a public tavern.
Michelangelo included da Cesena in the Last Judgement as Minos, one of the three judges of the underworld. When Baigio complained to the Pope the pontiff explained that he had no jurisdiction over hell and that the portrait would have to remain. [excerpt from: http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Last-Judgement.html]
The Sistine Chapel paintings by Michaelangelo Buonarroti
Now you can view the paintings as if you were there:
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni[1]
March 6, 1475 – February 18, 1564
He passed a few weeks before his 89th Birthday.
Commonly known as Michelangelo, he was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Despite making few forays beyond the arts, his versatility in the disciplines he took up was of such a high order that he is often considered a contender for the title of the archetypal Renaissance man, along with his rival and fellow Italian Leonardo da Vinci. To read more about him, you can visit Wikipedia’s entry or see a special site devoted only to Michaelangelo and his art.
Here is the Sistine Chapel in Italy as seen from a satellite view.
If you would like to see more artwork in Rome, visit a tourist’s slideshow of their trip.
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