The Last Judgement Michelangelo Analysis

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Michelangelo was an extraordinary artist who contributed enormous physical and educational pieces of art to the world. Arguably one of the most spectacular pieces of art in human history was his vaulting painting, The Last Judgement, available for viewing in the Sistine Chapel. The overall process of producing this painting and Michelangelo’s personal beliefs and life were both incredibly influential throughout these 20 months. As Adrienne DeAngelis outlined in her article describing the Sistine Chapel, the process for how Michelangelo was contracted for The Last Judgement and the ways in which he completed the work were a bit unusual (DeAngelis). He was hired as a means to discredit his name with the Pope as requested by Bramante. This plan …show more content…
Their performances were beneath Michelangelo’s expectations, so he sent them away and restarted to ensure the painting was solely completed by him. About one-third of the way through, the Pope tried to see the progress, but was not admitted for visitation which caused for Michelangelo to be sent back to Rome. Upon his return, the painting began to throw out certain spots of mold which discouraged him and caused for a friend, Giuiano da San Gallo, to meet with Michelangelo, tell him the error he made, and how to fix it. This lifted Michelangelo’s spirits and he completed The Last Judgement in 20 months. Once it was open to the public, Michelangelo wanted to retouch it “a secco,” but the scaffolding would have taken too long and too much labor to fix, so this touch-up never occurred. The final work was absolutely gorgeous and everyone then, and now, marveled at the masterpiece, though Michelangelo suffered great discomfort and pain from staring at the ceiling tirelessly for …show more content…
Throughout the video uploaded to YouTube by CP Weyant, the Lives of the Artists painting was described. Physically, the different levels of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel represented degrees of closeness to God. Each different level hosted different subjects who helped carry-out the story. The bottom level illustrated the ancestors of Christ (primarily descendants of Noah waiting for Christ’s arrival). The level above them intensified the spiritual elements and showcased prophets – people whom God talked through to mankind. Along the center spine of the ceiling, Michelangelo painted the story of Genesis involving the creation of the Cosmos (light/dark/life/etc.). Finally, in the middle of it all, was the creation of everything including God’s creation of Adam, the tale of Eve, the story of temptation/expulsion, etc. Everyone was entranced about the volume of material Michelangelo included in The Last Judgement along with how miraculous his forms, style, and perspective that Michelangelo had completed for the first time. The Last Judgement illustrated just how creative and brilliant Michelangelo was with frescoes and art in

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