The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel was originally built for Pope Sixtus the Fourth. It is a simple building out of bricks and it is 132 feet long and 44 feet wide. Its maximum height is 68 feet.

Michelangelo actually did not want to paint the Chapel, because he thought that painting was not his profession and he was still disappointed by Julius losing interest in the tomb, but eventually he did it.

Al the paintings from the Sistine Chapel are Fresco paintings. Fresco paintings requires a particular technique. The watercolour has to be quickly worked into drying plaster. Only a few colours are allowed to be used, and these become lighter when they dry. Only a little bit of work can de done in one day, because the plaster has to be well prepared. The painter has to draw his cartoon on a piece of special paper, which he puts on the prepared plaster and he draws it again so the cartoon becomes visible on the plaster. These lines were clear, so it was possible to see how much work was completed in one day. The painted areas have to dry for six weeks.

Michelangelo did al the actual paintings himself, working under very bad conditions and he was never able to get far enough from the ceiling to see clearly what he was doing.

The ceiling

Michelangelo chose for this theme the creation of the world and the fall and punishment of Man. The ceiling contains some three hundred figures. The ceiling is divided into large and small panels, which appear open to the sky.

Michelangelo worked his main theme ( the Histories) along the central panel. They tell the story of Adam and Eve, from the creation of Adam to the expulsion from the garden of Eden, and the story of Noah.

Each of the smaller panels is surrounded by four nude figures ( the Ignudi ) . There are twelve special persons: the Hebrew Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, Joel, Jonah and Zecheriah and the five Sibyls. In the four corners are shown the Salvations of Israel, David and Goliath, Judith and Holofernes, the Crucifiction of Haman and the story of the Brazen Serpent.

The Histories are painted in reverse order, begin over the altar. In the Sistine Chapel the altar begins at the west end, and that is somewhat unusual.

'Let there be light' is a picture of the Creation itself and God is seen with his hands lifted high above his head, giving shape to the world. The colour is pale and this painting of The Histories is the most peaceful one, because the creator and the created are at one with each other and they are in control of the situation.

'The Creation of the sun and the moon 'is all action and God seems in difficulty, he looks angry. He is painted twice; on the right he is looking towards us, angrily and surrounded by angels. On the left, he creates the fruits of the earth. He orders the sun and the moon, with his arms spread, to go to their places.

The colour is again pale, but because of the shadows there is much strong painting.

Michelangelo sees God as a powerful person and at each painting he paints God with a different mood, but it is always clear that he knows exactly what he is doing, and that there is no need for violence.

This painting completes the first group of three Histories; the world is now ready for Man.

The Creation of Adam

To Michelangelo Adam is not only the first man but also the image of God in human form. God made him - nude and in his own image. Adam is an elegant , athletic and powerful person, and his arm is reaching out towards his creator.

The fingers of Adam and the fingers of God almost touch. Michelangelo wanted to show that Adam the image of God.

The Creation of Eve

Eve is getting up while Adam lies asleep and God is standing at the right side of the painting. This painting has no beautiful landscape and it is the least successful one of the Histories.

There is so little space in the painting that Eve appears to be very big. Although She is painted naked and she is very beautiful, but because of her size in the painting, her beauty is gone. Eve reaches out to God to receive his blessing.

The fall and Expulsion of Adam and Eve

In this painting Michelangelo wanted to show the cause and the effect. On the right we can see The Temptation and at the left we can see The Expulsion. The painting is divided in the middle by the big tree with the serpent. The serpent was painted as a woman. It is a female, except it has a tail in stead of legs.

All the figures are strong and powerful , but they are not sensual. Michelangelo was good at making his carvings look seductive, but in this painting it did not work out as it should have been. Maybe this was because he was not there , so he could not place himself in it. If we did not know the story of Adam and Eve, we would not be able to see how the story goes.

The Flood

This painting shows clearly the flood and the panic that it causes. There are a lot of little events that are worked out in detail. Michelangelo was obvious very passionated with this painting. At the time that he was working at this painting he was isolated from the world outside and he was having physical problems, so maybe that is the reason that he made this painting so detailed.

Noah is there too, and he is trying to reach his ark.

The Ignudi

The Ignudi are young men who are placed at each corner of the five Histories. There are twenty of them and they are twisting and turning with graceful movements. Michelangelo loved painting them; this we know because the Ignudi are the most perfect of all his painted figures. All the Ignudi have a different way of sitting, but they are not all individual figures; they are one and the same 'man'. Michelangelo wants us to realise that life is not simple. A person can act in very many ways, but still remains the same person.

The Hebrew Prophets

Michelangelo tried to give each prophet his own expression, in a way he thought they would have been when they were still alive.

Isaiah is elegant and self-assured. He sits comfortably in his throne and he stares at something. He looks a little bit angry or frustrated. He holds his fingers in the middle of his book.

Ezekiel seems to be impressed by something, because he looks over his shoulder and jumps out of his throne. Ezekiel is a big person, he seems to be powerful; his feet are aggressively astride and he holds a roll of paper tight in his hand.

Jeremiah is anxious , his head is in his hands, he is deep in thoughts because he knows about the disasters that are going to come. His hand is deeply pressed into his jaw. His feet are crossed.

Daniel is the young prince of Israel and he is tensed . His book he almost can not carry, not even with the help from a little figure; a 'putto'. He seems to be unhappy.

The minor prophets, Joel, Jonah and Zecheriah are also painted as beautifully as the rest . Jonah is made above the altar. This means that Michelangelo must have felt great sympathy for him. Jonah is almost nude and he is leaning on his right elbow . Joel is calm and thinking. Nothing can disturb him.

Zecheriah is turning away and he is searching for something in his thick book. He is looking very old, because of his long white beard.

The Sibyls alternate from the prophets, so Michelangelo thought they were as important as the prophets.

The Libian Sibyl turns away from us and appears to be closing her book. Michelangelo has put a lot of detail in this painting. In this painting you can see clearly that Michelangelo has done a lot of anatomical studying.

The Persian Sibyl is older and she is looking something up in her little book. She is not far so impressive as the Cumaean Sibyl. This Sibyls is big and although she is still a female, she is painted with powerful shoulders and she is too big for her throne, because of her enormous weight.

The Erythraean Sibyl is also turning the pages of her book. She is the least disturbing of all the Sibyls. She is looking with doubt in her eyes, but nobody can figure out why she would have doubts.

The Salvations of Israel- David and Goliath, Judith and Holofernes, The Crucifixion of Haman and The brazen Serpent- were painted at the same time as the Histories and they also fill the empty space in the four corners. They show the victories f youth, of weakness and strength and grace and violence.

Michelangelo finished his work on the ceiling at the end of October 1512. It had taken him nearly four years. The Pope was very pleased with it.

At thirty-seven Michelangelo was seen as the greatest living artist; not only as a great painter, but also as a great sculptor.