The Vatican: Sistine Chapel

Posted on 4/04/2012

The Vatican Museum ends at the Sistine Chapel, and of course every tourist heads right for this famous scene, God giving life to man-
But for real the entire room is ridiculously impressive. And HUGE. There are over 5,000 square feet of painted frescos, all painted by Michelangelo. Many painters just design paintings, and then have their workers paint them, while they take credit. But except for unimportant places (like a landscape behind a person or something)  Michelangelo actually pained the entire Sistine Chapel. He also fired his assistants on a regular basis so none of them could take any real credit for his chapel. He was also said to have been more then a little angry that he was manipulated into painting (when he considered himself a sculptor) and was apparently a little temperamental during the four year project- so many his assistant were happy to be fired! :)
The celling and blue wall were also commissioned to be pained at different times. Again, Michelangelo was not thrilled to be painting, but the threat of having some other artist paint the wall was to much for his ego to bear and he agreed to paint it. The celling is 9 scenes from the book of Genesis, the wall is a scene from the the last judgement. 
Because mass was still conduced in the chapel while Michelangelo was working on the project, the scaffolding was only taken down when he was half way done-he finished this half first-
 and when he saw it he thought he had been painting things too small to see from the floor. So that half of the chapel has noticeably more "full" scenes then the other half...but it works. 
The room is amazing, everywhere you look is totally gorgeous. These pictures don't even almost do it justice.

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