Visit Vatican City And See The Sistine Chapel - Another Rome Tourist Delight
It was Pope Sixtus IV who commissioned and gave the name to the Sistine Chapel. But it was in 1508 that Pope Julius II gave the chapel worldwide fame when he commissioned the amazing Italian artist Michelangelo to paint the 10,000 square foot ceiling with his creative frescoes.
On your way to view the Sistine Chapel and its amazing ceiling, you'll find many other amazing artistic delights. Nearby to the Chapel is the Vatican Museum - a marvel that should require you to spend at least 1 - 2 days exploring its treasures. Also, St. Peter's Basilica (with its magnificent Dome) contains Michaelangelo's "The Pieta" - another treasure of the great artist himself.
The actual Sistine Chapel is relatively small by Roman building standards, at 135 feet wide by 44 feet tall. But inside of this small chapel is some of the greatest art of the western world. Art that any museum in the world would be thrilled to have. A huge restoration project done on the chapel between 1979 and 1999 assured that this treasure would be here for us to enjoy for decades to come.
In addition to Michelangelo, many renowned artists are on display in the Sistine Chapel. Botticelli's art works are on display there including his well known "The Punishment of Korah" and the 1482 "Life of Moses". But a few steps away, you can also view works by true masters of the Renaissance period such as Ghirlandaio, Perugino and Rosselli.
But it is that magnificent ceiling that most people associate with the Sistine Chapel. Before Michelangelo began his work there, what passed for art on that ceiling was a simple pattern of painted stars. Michelangelo invested four difficult years of tedious work to transform that ceiling into a magnificent nine-panel masterpiece we know it for today.
For subject matter, Michelangelo drew from various characters of the Old Testament including Noah, a variety of male nudes, Sibyls and of course, the world famous image of Jehovah himself reaching out to mankind through Adam to give life at the touch of his divine finger.
Rome has been prudent in caring for this masterpiece, most recently having it cleaned and restored in the 1990s. That restoration revealed the striking colors that the artist - who is considered the finest ever in art history - used to illustrate his master work. The author Goethe spoke well of the Sistine Chapel when he wrote:
"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."
To accomplish this amazing task of painting the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo had to design a new kind of scaffold to accommodate his needs. The paint nearly blinded him as he labored tirelessly on the project. And he had to use his impressive abilities to devise new innovations to get the job done, including a new kind of plaster which became known as intonaco. This new plaster resists mold and holds paint in place well which was crucial to the success of the Sistine Chapel. Intonaco is a plaster that is still very useful in modern building projects.
The bulk of the work on the Sistine Chapel was done by 1512. But Michelangelo had more to share so he returned to the site twenty years later and he created The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541. So be sure you bring your eyes down from the ceiling to take in this second masterpiece inside the chapel that covers the wall behind the alter of the church.
You will find The Last Judgment mesmerizing and full of interesting scenes, including a self portrait that shows St. Bartholomew having his skin flayed. Michelangelo's images are so striking and challenging that they drew criticism from the powers that be at the time because he so frequently included nude figures in his work. It says something that Michelangelo won out in these disputes but it is tragic that later those art works were marred by censors who painted over the genitals of the nudes.
For art lovers and those not well versed in art appreciation, seeing the Sistine Chapel is a moving experience. For sheer concentration of masterpieces and to see art that is on display in no other setting, the Sistine Chapel is a must for your next visit to Rome.
On your way to view the Sistine Chapel and its amazing ceiling, you'll find many other amazing artistic delights. Nearby to the Chapel is the Vatican Museum - a marvel that should require you to spend at least 1 - 2 days exploring its treasures. Also, St. Peter's Basilica (with its magnificent Dome) contains Michaelangelo's "The Pieta" - another treasure of the great artist himself.
The actual Sistine Chapel is relatively small by Roman building standards, at 135 feet wide by 44 feet tall. But inside of this small chapel is some of the greatest art of the western world. Art that any museum in the world would be thrilled to have. A huge restoration project done on the chapel between 1979 and 1999 assured that this treasure would be here for us to enjoy for decades to come.
In addition to Michelangelo, many renowned artists are on display in the Sistine Chapel. Botticelli's art works are on display there including his well known "The Punishment of Korah" and the 1482 "Life of Moses". But a few steps away, you can also view works by true masters of the Renaissance period such as Ghirlandaio, Perugino and Rosselli.
But it is that magnificent ceiling that most people associate with the Sistine Chapel. Before Michelangelo began his work there, what passed for art on that ceiling was a simple pattern of painted stars. Michelangelo invested four difficult years of tedious work to transform that ceiling into a magnificent nine-panel masterpiece we know it for today.
For subject matter, Michelangelo drew from various characters of the Old Testament including Noah, a variety of male nudes, Sibyls and of course, the world famous image of Jehovah himself reaching out to mankind through Adam to give life at the touch of his divine finger.
Rome has been prudent in caring for this masterpiece, most recently having it cleaned and restored in the 1990s. That restoration revealed the striking colors that the artist - who is considered the finest ever in art history - used to illustrate his master work. The author Goethe spoke well of the Sistine Chapel when he wrote:
"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."
To accomplish this amazing task of painting the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo had to design a new kind of scaffold to accommodate his needs. The paint nearly blinded him as he labored tirelessly on the project. And he had to use his impressive abilities to devise new innovations to get the job done, including a new kind of plaster which became known as intonaco. This new plaster resists mold and holds paint in place well which was crucial to the success of the Sistine Chapel. Intonaco is a plaster that is still very useful in modern building projects.
The bulk of the work on the Sistine Chapel was done by 1512. But Michelangelo had more to share so he returned to the site twenty years later and he created The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541. So be sure you bring your eyes down from the ceiling to take in this second masterpiece inside the chapel that covers the wall behind the alter of the church.
You will find The Last Judgment mesmerizing and full of interesting scenes, including a self portrait that shows St. Bartholomew having his skin flayed. Michelangelo's images are so striking and challenging that they drew criticism from the powers that be at the time because he so frequently included nude figures in his work. It says something that Michelangelo won out in these disputes but it is tragic that later those art works were marred by censors who painted over the genitals of the nudes.
For art lovers and those not well versed in art appreciation, seeing the Sistine Chapel is a moving experience. For sheer concentration of masterpieces and to see art that is on display in no other setting, the Sistine Chapel is a must for your next visit to Rome.
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