Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling: Art and Meaning

Introduction

"This work has been and truly is a beacon of our art, and it has brought such benefit and enlightenment to the art of painting that it was sufficient to illuminate a world which for so many hundreds of years had remained in the state of darkness. And, to tell the truth, anyone who is a painter no longer needs to concern himself about seeing innovations and inventions, new ways of painting poses, clothing on figures, and various awe-inspiring details, for Michelangelo gave to this work all the perfection that can be given to such details." (Web Gallery of Art, 2012)

The Sistine Chapel is one of the most well-known works of art in the world. It was painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti. In Italian its name is Cappella Sistina, and in Latin it is Sacellum Sixtinum. This paper focuses on the chapel, and more specifically on its ceiling, which is considered a masterful work in its own right. The paper contextualizes the creation of the ceiling and provides analysis of its content. The Sistine Chapel is a work of art of great significance both with respect to art history and with respect to Christianity. The chapel, with its famous ceiling, is located in Vatican City, Italy. It is more than five centuries old and has been carefully restored so as to preserve the legacy of the artist and the meaning of the work.

The Sistine Chapel ceiling was a vast undertaking for the artist. The piece took years to imagine, visualize, and prepare for, let alone to create. The chapel serves as a papal enclave — a space specifically dedicated for use by popes and those closest to them. One of the primary religious functions of the chapel is to hold elections for the succession of popes, conducted in a conclave of the College of Cardinals. The ceiling itself is approximately 5,000 square feet, or 460 square meters. Placing oneself in the position of the artist, one can readily imagine what an arduous mental and physical undertaking the chapel and its ceiling would have been — yet the reward for such effort is equally apparent.

Historical Background and Commission

The Chapel was built in the late fifteenth century. Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling from 1508 to 1512, at the request and commission of Pope Julius II. The painting took four years to complete. The content of the ceiling is the rendering of nine significant scenes from the Bible, specifically from the Book of Genesis. As the New World Encyclopedia notes, "Michelangelo's inspirational, biblical images covering the Sistine Chapel's ceiling were imbued with a special significance due to the immediacy of the pope. For this reason, his artwork took on the significance of religious icons, which to this day inform the public notion of biblical imagery and theological meaning" (New World Encyclopedia, 2012).

The project was physically and emotionally torturous for Michelangelo. He recounts its effect on him in his own words: "After four tortured years, more than 400 over life-sized figures, I felt as old and as weary as Jeremiah. I was only 37, yet friends did not recognize the old man I had become." In order to prepare for this enormous work, Michelangelo drew numerous figure studies and cartoons, devising scores of figure types and poses. These powerful images, demonstrating Michelangelo's masterly understanding of human anatomy and movement, changed the course of painting in the West (Michelangelo.com, 2012).

The Physical and Emotional Toll on Michelangelo

Michelangelo was a changed man because of this work. He relied upon previously established artistic techniques and skills while also starkly demonstrating his prowess for painting and subtext. The ceiling of the chapel is a supreme condensation of Christian beliefs and reflections upon the world — a text to be read and interpreted. As with a great deal of masterful works of art, each detail and element of the ceiling painting carries meaning with respect to content, color, light, size and proportion, positioning, movement, and other aspects.

Regarding the method of creation, it is worth noting that Michelangelo created a special kind of scaffolding that enabled him and his assistants to reach the ceiling while standing. Contrary to popular rumor or fable, they did not paint lying down. The ceiling is painted in the style of fresco, a technique that added considerable challenges and difficulty to the work beyond the fact of its being a ceiling. As one source notes, the painting took its toll on Michelangelo's health: "working on his back, an impressive amount of paint must have entered his lungs" (Art Bible, 2012).