To give them no reason to whisper about his abilities, he had no choice but to use the paintbrush to create masterpieces that no one could deny. Now, the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are considered the pinnacle of Renaissance art.
Michelangelo is best known as a sculptor, until Pope Julius II decided to give him the task of painting frescoes for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The young man from Florence was only 24 years old when he made the “Pieta” statue depicting the Virgin Mary holding the body of Christ. Michelangelo’s “David” statue at that time also showed Michelangelo’s talent in depicting the human body.
But his contemporaries did not know him as a master painter. The colors and composition of the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel still fascinate posterity Spectacular proof of Michelangelo’s genius painting ability. But before embarking on his mission, Michelangelo encountered countless difficulties…
In the early 16th century, Rome was a center of art, many large works were renovated and renovated. adorned with works of art and frescoes. Many famous painters were present in Rome at that time, their class was shown through the works they were entrusted to undertake.
At that time, Michelangelo was mainly known as an artist. Although his painting ability was suspected, he was vilified by his opponents when he was assigned to create a series of frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Many opponents even eagerly considered this task a challenge. aware of a trap that could forever sink Michelangelo’s name.
At that time, the Sistine Chapel, compared to other works in Rome, was just a simple building and of course a “class” project. light” for “second-rate” artists.
But even with this “second-rate” project, Michelangelo’s opponents in the art field at that time still felt he was not worthy. When he was assigned, they were even “excited” because they believed that he had no real painting ability. Just by doing the first few murals, he would be humiliated because his ability was too weak to handle the project. .
Suspicions
The public objections to assigning Michelangelo to undertake the project clearly showed that Michelangelo was only He learned about fresco at the workshop of artist Domenico Ghirlandaio in Florence at the age of 13. Michelangelo actually did not have any fresco works to be recognized by the profession for his ability.
Furthermore, even Michelangelo himself once talked about his weaknesses in painting and he himself admitted that His real talent was for sculpture, not painting.
At that time, the frescoes on the vertical walls of the Sistine Chapel were done by other artists. Michelangelo was commissioned to fresco the entire ceiling of the chapel, a massive structure spread out over more than 500 square meters. This is an overwhelming job for even talented and experienced artists with many difficulties and challenges.
However, Michelangelo did not hesitate that he was an artist rich in realism. In fact, he was interested in the remuneration offered and also knew how to negotiate further. Wanting to make Michelangelo scared, discouraged and give up before even starting the work is not simple.
Outline plans were also put forward by the Vatican to support Michelangelo, but he They all dismissed them because they thought those ideas… were too “mediocre”. Finally, he had the right to implement his own ideas. This work will last for 4 years starting in 1508.
The frescoes done by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel depict what is told in the Bible about the creation of heaven. From land to water, light, darkness, humanity, the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the great flood…
Challenges
Problems arose while Michelangelo was working on the frescoes. He paints the colors directly on the damp plaster layer that way the colors will really penetrate deeply and stick firmly, but this requires the performer to be precise in each movement with no room for mistakes and no correction. .
Time was also a challenge for Michelangelo. He had to take advantage of it while there was enough sunlight to work tirelessly without stopping, with the only position being sitting on a scaffolding and drawing with his head tilted back. for 12 hours every day. At the end of a working day, he was always tired.
Moreover, the method of making frescoes in Florence that he was familiar with was not suitable for the climate in Rome, some frescoes As soon as it was done, mold had to be removed to do it again. At first, everything went very slowly, making dignitaries at the Vatican feel impatient and had to constantly urge Michelangelo to expedite the work.< /p>
A lot of tension occurred, but finally in 1512, after 4 years of dedicated physical and mental work, Michelangelo completed the iconic work of period painting. Renaissance.
Return to the chapel
Michelangelo’s artistic contributions to the Sistine Chapel have not stopped. More than 20 years later, in 1536, the Vatican invited Michelangelo to create another fresco to depict “The Last Judgment” on the wall behind the altar.
At that time, Michelangelo was At over 60 years old, he accepted the invitation and when the work was completed in 1541, it once again overwhelmed people and was solid evidence of his true painting talent over the years.
“The Last Judgment”
Over a period of centuries with great upheavals in society, changes in aesthetic concepts have occurred. The mindset that caused Michelangelo’s frescoes to endure conflicting judgments over time.
There was a time when people condemned spending a lot of money to display art. That’s not appropriate. There was a time when people thought that the nude images that Michelangelo portrayed in the chapel were too much, and those sensitive details needed to be “censored”. After that, sensitive descriptions of the human body had to be covered up.
Immediately after Michelangelo died at the age of 88 in 1564, painter Daniele da Volterra was the first person assigned to the task. re-editing works with sensitive nude elements in the Sistine Chapel, drawings of leaves and layers of fabric were made over the original works.
Finally, in the 1980s – 1990 an important restoration was carried out on the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, the colored patches covering the “delicate” leaves were removed by experts to make the color layers more realistic and the living details. The movements that Michelangelo once performed were revealed again.
Michelangelo’s masterful depictions of the human body are also considered more worthy. Until today, the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel still have great appeal to the public.
In front of these frescoes, viewers are always overwhelmed by the beauty and depth. of the work.
The frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are testament to Michelangelo’s two genius artistic abilities – painting and sculpture, which are also considered the pinnacle of Renaissance painting. and until now still makes posterity fascinated to look at it.
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