On every Thursday, I am
introducing the stories about various artists and their paintings with the
title “Interesting Art Stories”.
The 30th story for this week is “The
Sistine Chapel ceiling” by Michelangelo, an Italian artist of the High
Renaissance.
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| The interior of the Sistine Chapel |
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| Michelangelo |
The Sistine Chapel is a Papal Chapel built in the Vatican by Pope Sixtus IV between 1477 and 1480. The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, is one of the most iconic works of High Renaissance commissioned by Pope Julius II.
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| Sistine Chapel (2017) |
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| The original ceiling before the ceiling paintings, Pier Matteo d'Amelia |
The various paintings on the
ceiling are part of the interior decoration within the chapel, and on the walls
of the chapel are paintings of Michelangelo's The Last Judgement as well as
several important painters of the late 15th-century including Sandro
Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Pietro Perugino, all of which represent
the doctrine of the Catholic Church.
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| The Last Judgement, Michelangelo |
In the center of the
ceiling, there are paintings of nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, of which
"The Creation of Adam" is the most famous, and the hands of God and
Adam in this painting have been imitated and reproduced countlessly up to date.
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| Hands of God and Adam, Creation of Adam |
The ceiling is harmonized
with paintings on the walls by some of the most famous Renaissance painters
such as Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, and Cosimo Rosselli. The chapel is
the place for papal conclaves and many other important services.
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| Trials of Moses, Sandro Botticelli, Sistine Chapel |
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| Vocation of the Apostles, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Sistine Chapel |
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| The Delivery of the Keys, Perugino, Sistine Chapel |
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| The Last Supper, Cosimo Rosselli, Sistine Chapel |
Michelangelo's fame rose
significantly after Sistine Chapel ceiling was completed and revealed. Since
then, Michelangelo was recognized as the greatest artists of his time, and his
Sistine ceiling paintings have always been included in the "supreme
masterpieces of pictorial art."
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| Michelangelo's illustration showing his painting on the ceiling |
The nine scenes from the Book of Genesis painted in the central section of the ceiling can be divided into three groups.
The first group shows the God creating the Heavens and the Earth. The second group shows the God creating the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, and their disobedience and consequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden where they have lived. The third group shows the plight of Humanity and especially Noah's family.
The scenes are ordered from the altar toward the main door as follows.
1. The Separation of Light
from Darkness
2. The Creation of the Sun,
Moon and Plants
3. The Separation of Land and Water
4. The Creation of Adam
5. The Creation of Eve
6. The Fall and Expulsion
7. The Sacrifice of Noah
8. The Great Flood
9. The Drunkenness of Noah
Thank you.
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