When we entered the hallway towards the Sistine Chapel we were informed that we could not take any pictures. The reason for this was not entirely clear, however, the guide indicated it was because of copyright infringement. So we did not get any photos inside the chapel but we used non-copyright images of the Sistine Chapel that were available for the blog.

The pictures cannot convey the beauty and spectacular images we saw in the chapel. The artwork by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling was completed between 1508 and 1512 using a “frescoes” style. The process he used to paint the Sistine Chapel was extraordinary. The painting was done quickly in watercolour on the wet plaster on the ceiling so that the water colours penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dried. This is how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel paintings were restored between 1980 and 1994 by a group of experts from the Vatican Museums, coordinated by Director Carlo Pietrangeli.  The Ceiling frescoes were cleaned between 1980 and 1992, while the “Last Judgement” took four years of intense work, ending in 1994. The candle smoke and even previous restorations (which consisted painting over the frescos or retouching the colours to “brighten” them, which diminished over time)

When we entered into the Chapel we were struck by the size, brilliance, and beauty of the ceiling and walls of the chapel. The ceiling is high around 20 meters above the floor. The room was crowded and everyone was not saying a word. It was very surreal as everyone looked up and stared quietly at the ceiling admiring the paintings.

The first thing that struck me was the vibrant colours and the story behind the paintings of Michelangelo. The ceiling’s nine main sections depict stories from the Book of Genesis. The creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Noah ending with the altar wall that depicts the last judgement.

We looked at each section following the story of Genesis and admiring the work of Michelangelo.

The altar wall which was painted by Michelangelo between 1536 and 1541 was twenty-five years after he finished the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

What was very interesting to us was that a Cardinal “Biagio da Cesena” indicated his dislike with the paintings  because the paintings depicted nudes with exposed genitalia. That the paintings should not be in a place of worship. This upset Michelangelo so he painted Cesena’s face into the final judgement scene as being sent to the underworld. Cesena’s image is in the bottom right-hand corner of the painting. Cesena is depicted with donkey ears, and his nudity is covered by a coiled snake which is biting his genitals.

What was also very interesting was the fact that the original paintings by Michelangelo depicted everyone nude. It was two decades after it was completed when the more “prominent” nudes in The Last Judgment were painted over with underwear, or “braghe” meaning draperies after Michelangelo died in 1564. The artist Daniele da Volterra painted the underwear when the Council of Trent condemned nudity in religious art.

Seeing the Sistine Chapel was truly a once in a lifetime event. The feelings and emotions of seeing such a spectacular and historic place and seeing Michelangelo’s paintings was awe-inspiring. Words cannot begin to explain the magnificence of the Chapel.

Below is a link to view the Sistine Chapel in a 3D virtual tour.

http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

“bene vale , et postea videbo vos”