Michelangelo Paintings
Although some may know him best for his work as a sculptor, as creator of magnificent works such as David, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was as talented a painter as he was a sculptor and should be recognized as much for the things he has painted as he is for the things he has chiseled.
As a young man, Michelangelo was an apprentice to both a painter and a sculptor. His teacher in the art of painting was Domenico Ghirlandaio, who would go on to introduce and recommend him to Lorenzeo de Medici, who would give Michelangelo plenty of work in sculpture for much of his youth.
It wasn’t until the 16th century, when Michelangelo was nearing the age of 30, that he was commissioned to paint anything. It was at this period in time that Pope Julius II convinced Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel as a fresco, in which paint is laid upon damp plaster.
It is said that the original plaster recipe that Michelangelo used became moldy, causing him to request a different formula be made for the work, one which would be more durable. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel has become one of the most celebrated works of art since its unveiling. Rather than depict a single scene on the ceiling, Michelangelo chose to paint nine scenes from the Book of Genesis.
The nine scenes were put into three groupings: the Creation, Adam and Eve, and finally Noah. The Creation segment details God’s creation of the world. The Adam and Eve segment bears witness to God’s creation of Adam and Eve as well as their subsequent fall from grace. The Noah segment deals with humanity’s fate thereafter, including the Great Flood.
The other great painting that Michelangelo was commissioned to work on, also a fresco, was The Last Judgment, and was designed to be the wall of the altar of the Sistine Chapel. In stark contrast to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which details certain events in the Book of Genesis, the Last Judgment’s subject matter is the second coming of Christ and the end of all things – the apocalypse.
It broke from tradition in its depiction of the apocalypse, placing Christ in the middle of all things, with human souls rising and descending around him, as per the judgment bestowed upon them. The painting has no portrayal of hell or heaven, a break from tradition that typically showed heaven, earth and hell layered horizontally upon one another.
Michelangelo took humorous liberties with the painting as well, painting a self-portrait of himself as a flayed skin being held by St. Bartholomew. The painting was the cause of great controversy, not only for its less traditional content, but also for the great amount of nudity in it. In fact, the genitalia in the fresco was later commissioned by the church to be covered up by the artist Daniele de Volterra.
He may be the most remarkable sculptor of Western culture, but let there be no doubt that Michelangelo was as talented a painter as he was sculptor. His works in the Sistine Chapel have had a profound impact on millions of visitors, art lovers, and future artists for centuries.
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