Michelangelo Buonarotti is the greatest sculptor, architect, thinker and artist of the Renaissance, a true titan among his great contemporaries such as Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael. First of all, Michelangelo is known as a sculptor, the author of the unsurpassed “David”, but he is also the greatest painter who painted the Sistine Chapel with frescoes. These murals are filled with great wisdom and greatness of human genius. The chapel ceiling is a cycle of frescoes that are illustrations of the Old Testament since the Creation of the world.
The most famous frescoes of the Sistine Chapel:
World creation
Michelangelo portrays a host of hosts, who dispels darkness with his hands and gives light the path to Earth.
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“Creation of the Sun and the Earth”
The huge size of the fresco 570 cm x 280 cm indicates the titanic work of Michelangelo. He painted this fresco for one year, beginning in 1509. The fresco depicts the actions of the first chapter of the Old Testament on the creation of the world, when the Lord creates the Sun and the Earth.
Adam and Eve
The Creation of Adam is known throughout the world for this famous gesture - the touch of the fingers of the hands of the Creator and Man. This is the moment of divine creation, when the Lord instills a spirit in Adam and revitalizes a body created in its image and likeness. The fresco was created by Michelangelo in 1511.
The Creation of Eve depicts the creation of Eve from Adam's rib. Adam sleeps, and Eve holds out her hands to the Creator, just as a newborn child draws his hands to his mother. Year of creation of the mural - 1512
“Expulsion from Paradise and the Fall”
In the center of the fresco is the Tree of Knowledge, which is surrounded by the body of the Serpent-Tempter. He holds out an apple to Eve (the figures on the left). The right part shows the result of disobeying God - the fall and expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.
Sibyls
In the ancient world, sibyls were called the foretellers of the future, predicting the will of God. Michelangelo portrayed five sybilles: Libyan, Kumsky, Persian, Eritrean and Delphic. These are beautiful female portraits, portray women of different ages.
"Libyan Sibyl"
She is young and beautiful. Her blond hair is laid in an intricate hairstyle, and a yellow robe emphasizes the grace and freshness of a young woman who reaches for Genesis.
"Persian Sibyl"
The image of an elderly woman reading a book reveals some of her secrets. She sees poorly and brings the book close to her eyes. Sibyl is estranged from the world, her robes completely cover both the hunched body and head.
"Kumsky Sibyl"
Kumsky sibyl resembles with his strong and powerful body more than a man than an elderly woman. Sibyl, despite her age, is full of strength and reads the pages of Genesis to the angels. Her clothes consist of a blue dress and an orange cape draped over her head, and her hair is hidden under a thick white cap.
"Eritrean Sibyl"
The fresco depicts a young beautiful woman reading in the evening. This is clearly so, because an angel illuminates her pages with a lamp that is trying to light.
"Delphic Sibyl"
The Delphic Sibyl is a character of myths from the times of the Trojan War. Michelangelo portrayed a sybil reading a fortune-telling scroll. A beautiful energetic posture and a gorgeous face speaks of the greatness and reverence of this prophetess. According to the editors of most-beauty, this is the most beautiful sybil of the great master.
Images of the Prophets
In the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo portrayed seven biblical prophets: Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Joel, Jonah, and Zechariah. All the prophets are depicted of different ages - from young to deep old. But they are all thinkers and guardians of the wisdom of God.
The Last Judgment
The theme of the famous altar fresco is the Last Judgment after the second coming of Christ to Earth. The size of this picture is grandiose - 12 meters by 13 meters 70 cm. Only Michelangelo could afford such a scale! He was invited to paint the altar, but, only twenty-five years after the completion of the ceiling painting, he began work that lasted for four whole years!
Here the genius of Michelangelo reached its unsurpassed peak. At the top of the fresco in the center, Christ and Mary are depicted. Christ administers a righteous judgment - separates the righteous from sinners. The righteous remain in heaven, and sinners fly down to the netherworld. At the feet of Christ, Saint Bartholomew holds the skin stripped from man. It is assumed that the face of this unfortunate is a self-portrait of Michelangelo. He portrayed himself as a fallen sinner who is not worthy of the kingdom of heaven.
To draw a line
Michelangelo Buonarotti lived a long fruitful life. He left the world at 89 years old, which at that time was rare. His long, full of great work and genius life gave us, descendants, wonderful masterpieces of sculpture and painting. Nobody so far has been able to surpass Michelangelo's talent and greatness of work. His legacy is immortal.