This essay examines Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel — encompassing both the ceiling and the Last Judgment on the altar wall — as a supreme example of Renaissance auteurship. Drawing a parallel to modern filmmakers who exercise complete creative control, the paper argues that Michelangelo's singular vision, humanistic focus, and uncompromising execution produced a work of unparalleled scope. The essay covers the ceiling's Old Testament narrative, the inclusion of pagan sibyls, the depiction of the spiritual battle in the Last Judgment, and the papal commission under Julius II, ultimately presenting Michelangelo as an artist who reflected both physical and spiritual reality on an epic scale.
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel was a work of truly epic proportions that defined the artist as an auteur. Today, a filmmaker is often described as an auteur (French for "author") if he or she wields total creative control over a film — from the visionary stages through planning, production, shooting, and editing — so that the work is considered the total product of one vision. Such recognized auteurs are rare and are regarded not just as "authors" but also as authorities; the short list includes filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Christopher Nolan, among others. Their works are sprawling, complex, inventive, and original.
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel — both the ceiling and the Last Judgment painted on the altar wall — was truly one of the greatest works of epic proportions ever painted by a Renaissance artist ("Sistine Chapel Ceiling"). It was a work that essentially set the bar for what it meant to be an auteur.
Michelangelo was given complete control over the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and the result was that it took him nearly twenty years to complete. Like the works of many auteurs today, the Sistine Chapel was a labor of love that became something of a life project. His vision was so grand and encompassing that it sought to express the whole of Christian philosophy, theology, history, and truth in paint, while also creating a unique architectural effect — the painting is framed by painted columns and contoured to address the curvature of the ceiling ("Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel").
Michelangelo sought to represent in art the mysteries of the universe and of the Christian faith. He also incorporated pagan visionaries into his narrative, suggesting that their prophecies support and enrich the overall Christian story of history. The result was a work that was inclusive, expansive, rich in detail and thought, and sumptuous in expression. His vivid recreation of the human form was so distinctive that it inspired many other artists to study human anatomy in fine detail so that they, too, could demonstrate similar skill.
Part of what made Michelangelo's work come to life was the humanistic focus of the Renaissance — a period in Italy during which great wealth was flowing into the country and classical forms were being rediscovered, including the works and myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Michelangelo turned his attention to the human ideal (an ideal he had already expressed in his statue David): he wanted to show in painting what man looked like before the Fall — Adam at the moment of creation — and how man was transformed after it.
He wanted to depict the effect of sin on man's soul and features, which he accomplished in the Last Judgment. There, images show men losing their physical form — their bodies separating from their metaphysical souls — while demons from Hell reach upward, trying to drag down souls ascending toward Heaven. Michelangelo depicted the war between the forces of Good and Evil over the souls of mankind. In the center of the composition stands the figure of Christ, signaling to those who believe in Him, while the saints beside Him assist souls in their upward climb. It was a work that rendered the reality of spiritual battle in stark and shocking visual imagery.
"Good versus Evil imagery and social commentary"
"Julius II's commission and Old Testament ceiling narrative"
"Defense of nudity as reverence for divine creation"
"Michelangelo's Painting of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling." Italian Renaissance. Web. 11 Feb 2017. http://www.italianrenaissance.org/a-closer-look-michelangelos-painting-of-the-sistine-chapel-ceiling/
"Sistine Chapel Ceiling." Vatican Museums. Web. 11 Feb 2017. http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Volta.html
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