Sistine Chapel by the measurements of Solomon’s Temple
The Sistine Chapel was designed by Baccio Pontelli for Pope Sixtus IV, after whom it was named, and was built between 1473 and 1484 under the supervision of Giovannino de Dolci. After its construction, the chapel was decorated with frescoes by some of the most famous artists of the time, including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, and Perugino. Its dimensions (40.5 meters in length, 14 meters in width, and 20.7 meters in height) allegedly correspond to the dimensions of the legendary Temple of King Solomon.
The first mass in the Sistine Chapel was held in 1483 on the Feast of the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the chapel is dedicated to her.
The Creation of Adam
The Delphic Sibyl
The Prophet Ezekiel
Judith handing over the severed head of Holofernes to her maid
Michelangelo’s sketch of the scaffold built for the purpose of painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
Meticulous replication of the golden stars
The Sistine Chapel is the private papal chapel within the Vatican Palace and serves as the gathering place for cardinals during secret voting… and a new pope. In 1508, Pope Julius II hired Michelangelo Buonarroti to repaint its ceiling, which originally had golden stars on a blue sky, following the example of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua painted by Giotto. Initially, he was supposed to depict only twelve apostles, but he refused to do so, considering himself a sculptor, not a painter, among other reasons. However, since the Pope specifically wanted him, Michelangelo reluctantly agreed, but when the work was almost finished, he opposed the Pope’s desire because he didn’t want to create something mediocre. After a series of complications, the Pope accepted his reasons and offered him the possibility to paint biblical motifs according to his own desire.
It took the famous sculptor four years to translate his ideas onto the chapel ceiling. Architect Donato Bramante offered him assistance in constructing a scaffold that was supposed to hang from the ceiling according to the method of that time, but Michelangelo, not wanting to leave any unpainted areas on the ceiling, built it according to his own concept. part of an innovative scaffold that followed the upper edge of the window. The biggest problem was moisture, which caused the first layer of plaster to become moldy, so he had to remove it and start over. He tried a new mold-resistant base, created by Jacopo Torni, one of his assistants, which is still used today.
Michelangelo painted about three hundred human figures on an area of about five hundred and forty square meters, using bright colors that are easily visible from the floor. The frescoes were completed in October 1512.
Yes, and twelve prophets are lined up on the side. As they are located in the arched roof niches, it is interesting to mention that they are painted disproportionately, stretched, following the curvature of the space, in order to appear natural when viewed from the ground. It is assumed that Michelangelo used the technique of painting on fresh, not dry, surfaces, but it is possible that he changed some details or methods of work during the four years of work.
The work on painting the vault reveals that in addition to painting and sculpture, Michelangelo was also an exceptional architect, i.e. an artist who knew how to combine painting, sculpture, and architecture in an extraordinary way. When he finished the vault, he was 37 years old, and twenty-three years later, at the invitation of Pope Paul III, he painted another magnificent work – The Last Judgment on the western wall behind the altar, which took him six years (1535 – 1541).
“Every stone hides a sculpture”
Michelangelo, a sculptor, painter, poet, architect, and engineer, was privately withdrawn and lonely. art is seen as something that comes from inner inspiration. His strong and dynamic sculptures were the ideal of the Renaissance. He believed that every stone already carries the sculpture within itself, and that sculpture is just the process of removing the parts that do not belong to that sculpture. His most famous sculptures are David, Moses, and Pieta.
Perfection and Pathos
Michelangelo documented his life chronologically in dozens of letters in which he described everything he did, as well as his relationships, especially with Pope Julius II. He also wrote poems that speak of vigilant artistic eyes and divine inspiration: All the beauty on this earth, which a keen and vigilant eye finds, resembles a divine source from which we all originated. In it, we can already see a piece of paradise.
Giorgio Vasari emphasizes that today’s artists do not need to seek innovation and invention, new ways of posing, clothing or details that will inspire awe, because Michelangelo has already given all the perfection that can be directed at any detail in his A great work. German director Werner Herzog has stated that Michelangelo is the only one who succeeded in articulating and depicting the human pathos that allows us to better and deeper understand ourselves.
The Sistine Chapel is still one of the most visited and impressive places in Rome, and its restoration in 1984 caused criticism and controversy due to the fear of damaging the vault.
Michelangelo, or as he was also called during his lifetime “il divino Michelangelo,” earned immortal fame with his brilliant works.