Michelangelo. Sistine Chapel fresco "The Last Judgment"

2 Censored notes. Restoration of fresco 3 Composition

3.1 Lunettes 3.2 Christ the Judge and the Virgin Mary with the saints 3.3 The entourage of Christ 3.4 The second ring of characters. Left-hand side

Notes
Literature

Introduction

Last Judgment- fresco by Michelangelo on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The artist worked on the fresco for four years, from 1537 to 1541. Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel three decades after completing the painting of its ceiling. The large-scale fresco occupies the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. Its theme was the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse.

“The Last Judgment” is considered to be the work that completed the Renaissance in art, to which Michelangelo himself paid tribute in painting the ceiling and vaults of the Sistine Chapel, and opened a new period of disappointment in the philosophy of anthropocentric humanism.

1. History of creation

1.1. Clement VII

In 1533, Michelangelo was working in Florence on various projects in San Lorenzo for Pope Clement VII. On September 22 of this year, the artist went to San Miniato to meet the pope. Perhaps it was then that the Pope expressed a desire for Michelangelo to paint the wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel on the theme of “The Last Judgment.” In this way, the thematic completion of the cycles of paintings on scenes from the Old and New Testaments that decorated the chapel would have been achieved.

Probably, the pope wanted his name to stand in line with the names of his predecessors: Sixtus IV, who commissioned Florentine artists in the 1480s to create cycles of frescoes based on the stories of Moses and Christ, Julius II, whose pontificate Michelangelo painted ceiling (1508-1512) and Leo X, at whose request the chapel was decorated with tapestries based on the cardboards of Raphael (c. 1514-1519). To be among the pontiffs who took part in the founding and decoration of the chapel, Clement VII was ready to call on Michelangelo, despite the fact that the elderly artist worked for him in Florence without the same energy and with the involvement of an increasing number of assistants from among his students.

It is unknown when the artist entered into a formal contract, but in September 1534 he arrived from Florence in Rome to begin work on the new work (and to continue work on the tomb of Julius II). A few days later dad died. Michelangelo, believing that the order had lost its relevance, left the papal court and took up other projects.

Preparatory drawing from Casa Buonarotti, 41.8x28.8 cm. Below you can see a fragment Assumption of the Virgin Mary Perugino

Preparatory drawing from the Bonnet Museum in Bayonne, pencil, 34.5x29.1 cm

Preparatory drawing, Windsor Castle, pencil, 27.7x41.9 cm

1.2. Paul III

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Preparatory drawing. Bonn Museum, Bayonne, pencil, 17.9x23.9 cm

However, the new pope, Paul III, did not give up the idea of decorating the altar wall with a new fresco. Michelangelo, from whom the heirs of Julius II demanded that work on his tomb continue, tried to push back the start of work on the painting.

By order of the pope, the frescoes painted in the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century were to be hidden by new painting. This was the first “intervention” in the history of the chapel in a complex of images that were thematically related to each other: Finding Moses, Ascension of the Virgin Mary with the kneeling Sixtus IV and Nativity, as well as portraits of some popes between the windows and two lunettes from the cycle of frescoes on the ceiling of the chapel with the ancestors of Jesus, painted by Michelangelo more than twenty years ago.

During the preparatory work, the configuration of the altar wall was changed using brickwork: it was given a slope into the room (its top protrudes approximately 38 cm). In this way, they tried to avoid dust settling on the surface of the fresco during work. Two windows located in the altar wall were also sealed. Destroying the old frescoes must have been a difficult decision; in the first preparatory drawings Michelangelo tried to preserve part of the existing wall decoration, but then, in order to maintain the integrity of the composition in the spatial abstraction of the limitless sky, he had to abandon this too. Surviving sketches (one in the Bayonne Museum Bonnet, one in the Casa Buonarotti and one in the British Museum) highlight the artist's work on the fresco in development. Michelangelo abandoned the usual division of the composition into two worlds in iconography, but interpreted the theme of the Last Judgment in his own way. He built an extremely dynamic rotational movement from the mass of chaotically intertwined bodies of righteous and sinners, the center of which was Christ the Judge.

When the wall was ready for painting, a dispute arose between Michelangelo and Sebastiano del Piombo, until then a friend and employee of the master. Del Piombo, who found support in this matter from the pope, argued that for the sixty-year-old Michelangelo, working in pure fresco technique would be physically difficult, and suggested preparing the surface for painting with oil paint. Michelangelo categorically refused to carry out the order in any other technique than “pure fresco,” saying that painting a wall with oils was “an activity for women and rich lazy people like Fra Bastiano.” He insisted that the already completed oil base be removed and a layer intended for fresco painting be applied. According to archival documents, work on preparation for painting continued from January to March 1536. The execution of the fresco painting was delayed for several months due to the acquisition of the necessary paints, mainly very expensive blue, the quality of which was fully approved by the artist.

The scaffolding was installed and Michelangelo began painting in the summer of 1536. In November of the same year, the pope, in order to free Michelangelo from his obligations to the heirs of Julius II, mainly Guidobaldo della Rovere, issued a motu proprio, which gave the artist time to complete the “Judgment” without being distracted by other orders. In 1540, as work on the fresco was nearing completion, Michelangelo fell from the scaffolding and needed a month's break to recover.

The artist, as during the period of work on the ceiling of the chapel, painted the wall himself, using help only in preparing the paint and in applying the preparatory layer of plaster for painting. Only one Urbino assisted Michelangelo, probably he painted the background. Later studies of the fresco, in addition to the addition of draperies, did not reveal any interference in Michelangelo's original painting. Experts counted approximately 450 in the “Last Judgment.” jornat(daily standards for fresco painting) in the form of wide horizontal stripes - Michelangelo began work from the top of the wall and gradually went down, dismantling the scaffolding.

The fresco was completed in 1541 and was unveiled on All Saints' Eve, the same night 29 years earlier when the chapel's ceiling frescoes were unveiled.

1.3. Criticism

Even during the process of work, the fresco aroused, on the one hand, boundless and unconditional admiration, and on the other, harsh criticism. Soon the artist faced the threat of being accused of heresy. The Last Judgment became the cause of a conflict between Cardinal Carrafa and Michelangelo: the artist was accused of immorality and obscenity, since he depicted naked bodies without hiding the genitals in the most important Christian church. A censorship campaign (known as the "Fig Leaf Campaign") was organized by Cardinal and Ambassador of Mantua Sernini, the purpose of which was to destroy the "indecent" fresco. The Pope's master of ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena, upon seeing the painting, said that “it is a shame that in such a sacred place naked bodies are depicted in such an indecent form” and that this fresco is not for the pope’s chapel, but rather “for public baths and taverns.” Michelangelo responded by depicting Cesena in Hell in the Last Judgment as King Minos, judge of the souls of the dead (lower right corner), with donkey ears, which was a hint of stupidity, naked, but covered with a snake wrapped around him. It was said that when Cesena asked the pope to force the artist to remove the image from the fresco, Paul III jokingly replied that his jurisdiction did not extend to the devil, and Cesena himself should come to an agreement with Michelangelo.

2. Censored notes. Restoration of the fresco

Naples" href="/text/category/neapolmz/" rel="bookmark">Naples, Museo di Capodimonte

The nudity of the characters in The Last Judgment was hidden 24 years later (when the Council of Trent condemned nudity in religious art) by order of Pope Paul IV. Michelangelo, having learned about this, asked to tell the pope that “it’s easy to remove nudity. Let him bring the world into decent shape.” The draperies on the figures were painted by the artist Daniele da Volterra, whom the Romans awarded with a derogatory nickname IlBraghettone(“pants writer”, “undershirt”). A great admirer of his teacher’s work, Volterra limited his intervention to “covering” the bodies with clothes painted in dry tempera, in accordance with the decision of the Council of January 1, 2001. The only exceptions were the images of Saint Biagio and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, which caused the strongest indignation of critics who considered their poses obscene, reminiscent of copulation. Yes, Volterra remade this fragment of the fresco, cutting out a piece of plaster with Michelangelo’s original painting; in the new version, Saint Biagio looks at Christ the Judge, and Saint Catherine is dressed. Most of the work was completed in 1565, after the master’s death. Censorship records continued later, after the death of Volterra, they were carried out by Giloramo da Fano and Domenico Carnevale. Despite this, the fresco was subject to criticism in subsequent years (during the 18th century, in 1825), and it was even proposed to destroy it. During the last restoration, completed in 1994, all late edits to the fresco were removed, while records relating to by the 16th century they remained as historical evidence of the requirements for a work of art imposed by the era of the Counter-Reformation.

Pope John Paul II put an end to the centuries-old controversy on April 8, 1994, during a mass held after the restoration of the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel:

Michelangelo seems to have expressed his own understanding of the words from the book of Genesis: “And Adam and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed of it” (Genesis 2:25). The Sistine Chapel is, so to speak, the sanctuary of the theology of the human body.

3. Composition

In The Last Judgment, Michelangelo somewhat departed from traditional iconography. Conventionally, the composition can be divided into three parts:

The upper part (lunettes) are flying angels, with attributes of the Passion of Christ. The central part is Christ and the Virgin Mary between the blessed. Lower - the end of times: angels playing the trumpets of the Apocalypse, the resurrection of the dead, the ascension of the saved to heaven and the casting of sinners into Hell.

The number of characters in The Last Judgment is a little over four hundred. The height of the figures varies from 250 cm (for the characters in the upper part of the fresco) to 155 cm in the lower part.

3.1. Lunettes

Vision" href="/text/category/videnie/" rel="bookmark">vision of the end of times: not spiritual peace and enlightenment of the saved, but anxiety, trembling, depression, which sharply distinguish Michelangelo's work from his predecessors who took on this topic. The masterly work of the artist, who painted angels in the most difficult positions, aroused the admiration of some spectators and the criticism of others, as Giglio wrote in 1564: “I do not approve of the efforts that the angels show in Michelangelo’s Judgment, I am talking about those that support the Cross ", column and other sacred objects. They look more like clowns and jugglers than angels."

3.2. Christ the Judge and the Virgin Mary with saints

The Lord" href="/text/category/vladika/" rel="bookmark">the ruler of the world is shown at the very moment of the beginning of the Judgment. Some researchers saw here a reference to ancient mythology: Christ is depicted as the thunderer Jupiter or Phoebus (Apollo), in his The athletic figure finds Buonarotti's desire to enter into competition with the ancients in the depiction of a naked hero of extraordinary physical beauty and power.His gesture, authoritative and calm, attracts attention and at the same time calms the surrounding excitement: it gives rise to a wide and slow rotational movement, in which all the characters are involved in. But this gesture can also be understood as threatening, emphasized by a concentrated, albeit dispassionate, without anger or rage, appearance, according to Vasari: “...Christ, who, looking with a terrible and courageous face at sinners, turns and curses them."

Michelangelo painted the figure of Christ, making various changes, for ten days. His nudity drew condemnation. In addition, the artist, contrary to tradition, depicted Christ the Judge as beardless. On numerous copies of the fresco he appears in a more familiar appearance, with a beard.

Next to Christ is the Virgin Mary, who humbly turned her face away: without interfering in the decisions of the Judge, she is only waiting for the results. Mary's gaze, unlike Christ's, is directed towards the Kingdom of Heaven. In the appearance of de Judge there is neither compassion for sinners, nor joy for the blessed: the time of people and their passions has been replaced by the triumph of divine eternity.

3.3. Surrounding Christ

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Saint Bartholomew

Michelangelo abandoned the tradition according to which artists at the Last Judgment surrounded Christ with the apostles and representatives of the Tribes of Israel seated on thrones. He also shortened the Deesis, leaving Mary as the only (and passive) mediator between the Judge and human souls without John the Baptist.

The two central figures are surrounded by a ring of saints, patriarchs and apostles - a total of 53 characters. This is not a chaotic crowd; the rhythm of their gestures and glances harmonizes this giant funnel of human bodies stretching into the distance. The faces of the characters express various shades of anxiety, despair, fear, all of them take an active part in the universal catastrophe, calling on the viewer to empathize. Vasari noted the richness and depth of expression of the spirit, as well as his unsurpassed talent in depicting the human body “in the strange and varied gestures of young and old, men and women.”

Some characters in the background, not included in the preparatory cardboard, were drawn a secco, without detail, in a free pattern, with an emphasized spatial separation of the figures: in contrast to those closest to the viewer, they appear darker, with blurry, indistinct contours.

At the feet of Christ, the artist placed Lawrence with the lattice and Bartholomew, perhaps because the chapel was also dedicated to these two saints. Bartholomew, identified by the knife in his hand, holds the flayed skin on which Michelangelo is believed to have painted his self-portrait. This is sometimes taken to be an allegory for the atonement of sin. The face of Bartholomew is sometimes considered a portrait of Pietro Aretino, Michelangelo’s enemy, who slandered him in retaliation for the fact that the artist did not take his advice when working on “The Last Judgment.” A hypothesis was also put forward, which received a wide public response, but was refuted by most researchers, that Michelangelo depicted himself on flayed skin, as a sign that he did not want to work on the fresco and carried out this order under duress.

Some of the saints are easily recognizable by their attributes, while various hypotheses have been built regarding the definition of other characters, which are not possible to confirm or refute. To the right of Christ is Saint Andrew with the cross on which he was crucified; the drapery that appeared on it as a result of censorship records was removed during the restoration. Here you can also see John the Baptist in a fur skin; Daniele da Volterra also covered him with clothes. The woman to whom St. Andrew is addressing may be Rachel.

John the Baptist

St. Peter

Saint Lawrence

On the right stands Saint Peter, with the keys that will no longer be needed to open the Kingdom of Heaven. Next to him, in a red cape, is possibly Saint Paul and a naked young man, almost next to Jesus, probably John the Evangelist. The figure kneeling behind Peter is usually considered to be Saint Mark.

3.4. Second ring of characters. Left-hand side

This group consists of martyrs, spiritual fathers of the Church, virgins and blessed ones.

On the left side, almost all the characters are women: virgins, sibyls and heroines of the Old Testament. Among the other figures, two women stand out: one with a naked torso and the other, kneeling in front of the first. They are considered personifications of the Church's mercy and piety. Numerous figures in this series cannot be identified.

Notes

Stefano Zuffi, La pittura rinascimentale, 2005. ^ 1 2 3 Camesasca, 1966, p. 84 De Vecchi, 1999, p. 12 Camesasca, 1966, p. 112^ 1 2 3 4 5 6 De Vecchi, 1999, p. 214 De Vecchi-Cerchiari, cit., pag. 151. The Sistine Chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, where the papal court celebrated the Ascension Day of the mother of Christ. ^ 1 2 Camesasca, 1966, p. 104^ 1 2 3 4 5 De Vecchi, 1999, p. 216 Zuffi, 109 These words are quoted by Vasari in his biography of Sebastiano lel Piombo. This was the lowest tier. Della notizia da un resoconto Vasari. According to Ldovico Domenici in Historia di detti et fatti notabili di diversi Principi & huommi privati moderni - books. /books? id=_2g8AAAAcAAJ&pg=RA5-PA668(1556), p. 668 Makhov A. Caravaggio. - M.: Young Guard, 2009. - (Life of wonderful people). - ISBN 3196-8 De Vecchi, 1999, p. 235 Letter from the Dominican theologian Andrea Giglio to the Pope ^ 1 2 3 De Vecchi, 1999, p. 266 De Vecchi, 1999, p. 227 Bletch B. Doliner R. The Riddle of Michelangelo: What is the Vatican hiding about the Sistine Chapel? - M.: Eksmo, 2009. p. 261.^ 1 2 3 4 5 6 De Vecchi, 1999, p. 219 Camesasca, 1966, p. 102^ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 De Vecchi, 1999, p. 225^ 1 2 Camesasca, cit., pag. 104. De Vecchi, 1999, p. 226 Copy from Casa Buonarotti - www. casabuonarroti. it/altre/miniat. htm Vasari ^ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Camesasca, cit., pag. 102. Dixon, John W. Jr. The Terror of Salvation: The Last Judgment - www. /visual/theology/johndixon/terror. htm

Literature

Ettore Camesasca.

Pierluigi De Vecchi.

In the very center of the Roman Vatican, along with significant sights, there is a beautiful museum - the Sistine Chapel ( Italian Capella Sistina) in which Michelangelo himself had to create his masterpieces.

Created initially as a house church - that is, a consecrated building located in a building - it was strengthened and turned into a chapel. It was named in honor of Pope Sixtus.

Chapel address: Viale Vaticano, Cappella Sistina
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday from 9.00-18.00
Ticket price: from 8 to 16 euros
Official website: www.mv.vatican.va

History of the Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti has undergone several restorations and reconstructions. The very first of them occurred back in 1400. It was then that the house fortress was rebuilt into a chapel. Later, as a result of soil subsidence, restoration was carried out with the construction and strengthening of walls.

Along with its museum purpose, it is here that a solemn, godly event takes place - the election of the Pope. There is nothing surprising in this choice: spacious, decorated with frescoes - paintings done on damp plaster and unusually durable - from the times of Botticelli and Michelangelo, the room gives everyone a feeling of solemnity and the constant presence of Christ.

There were about 16 paintings in total, but only 12 have survived to this day. They decorate the walls, altar and ceiling of the chapel. As for the bottom of the chapel, it was previously pristine. Tapestries by Raphael's hand were hung here. The most interesting thing is that those frescoes that are on the sides tell about the lives of two prophets at once: Christ and Moses. Between the windows, there are portraits of all the popes.

Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling also has its own characteristics and history.

Entertainment lovers will undoubtedly like the Mirabilandia amusement park or the Aquafan water park.

It rivals the Sistine Chapel in beauty, and interesting details will not leave anyone indifferent.

Exotic lovers should definitely try the famous one, which not everyone dares to try.

Description of the painting by Michelangelo “The Last Judgment”

It is impossible to provide a detailed description of Michelangelo’s painting “The Last Judgment” - it is such a chaotic and numerous arrangement of many naked bodies that it is impossible to either count its exact number - the approximate number is about 400 people - or convey the whole gamut of feelings on their faces.

However, the greatest achievement of this picture is that all the emotions of the characters are reflected in their poses. There is not a single repeating shape in this image! This phenomenon can neither be explained nor repeated.

Another fact: Michelangelo’s depression played a cruel joke on him. The Last Judgment itself is, according to the Bible, the victory of Christ over Lucifer. However, Michelangelo depicted “The Last Judgment” - the fresco of the Sistine Chapel - as the fear of all humanity before the inevitability. In other words, the description of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” does not reflect the joy of victory, but shows the horror of this event. This is due to the fact that, as a time interval, Michelangelo chose not the end, but the beginning of this action.

This explains details such as:

Young Christ.
Angels without wings.
A piece of skin collected from a saint's leg, etc.

The creation of this painting took Michelangelo 6 years. It was Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel that took away his last strength and caused severe mental anguish, but perhaps it was these emotions that made this picture so stunning and exciting.

Photo of Michelangelo's painting “The Last Judgment”

Sistine Chapel from above

Fragment of the painting The Last Judgment - devils drag the martyrs to Minos Fragment of the painting The Last Judgment - Charon transports the martyrs

On BlogoItaliano we have repeatedly talked about the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and its significance for world culture. There is a worthy reason for a new story. At the end of 2014, the Chapel hosted a presentation of an LED lighting system, thanks to which visitors will be able to literally see Renaissance masterpieces from a new perspective. Therefore, we decided to return to the Sistine Chapel and also look at it in a new way.

The Sistine Chapel, like many other buildings in Rome, appeared thanks to Pope Sixtus IV (Francesco della Rovere).

Sistine Chapel in the Vatican: original view

The prototype for its construction in 1473-81, or rather, the reconstruction that existed since the end of the 14th century. The chapels of the Apostolic Palace served as ancient temples, including the famous Temple of Solomon. The author of the project was Bartolomeo Pontelli, who was one of the leading architects in Rome at that time.

The Sistine Chapel is more reminiscent of a temple than a house chapel

In terms of its dimensions - 40.93 m in length, 13.41 m in width and 20.70 m in height - it really is more reminiscent of a full-fledged temple than a house chapel. Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pinturicchio, Perugino and Rosselli - the best artists of that time - were involved in its painting. The invitation to the Vatican of eminent Florentine painters also had a political context: after the Pazzi conspiracy of 1478, the pope wanted to reconcile with the Medici.

The basement level was decorated with paintings imitating tapestry draperies. The southern wall illustrates the Old Testament story of Moses, the northern - scenes from the New Testament. The paintings above the entrance to the Sistine Chapel depicted the final episodes - “The Dispute about the Body of Moses” and “The Resurrection” (lost in 1522 and rewritten in the 70s of the 16th century).

The altar wall was given over to the scenes of “The Finding of Moses” and “The Nativity of Christ,” which Perugino worked on. These paintings were destroyed in the 30s. XVI century, and now in their place is Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment”.

The best artists of the Renaissance participated in the painting of the chapel

Despite the fact that different artists worked in the chapel, all the frescoes created by 1482 were consistent in the same style characteristic of church paintings: multiple figures, traditional color and composition, and an abundance of gilding.

Above the frescoes were images of the holy popes, and the ceiling was a dark blue tent with golden stars, symbolizing the vault of heaven (the work of Piermatteo d'Amelia).

It is possible that Sistine Chapel in Vatican it would have remained a valuable, but generally mediocre monument for Italy, if Pope Julius II, also known as Giuliano della Rovere, nephew of Sixtus IV, had not taken up the task of rebuilding it.

Michelangelo and the 57 Episodes of the High Renaissance

The reconstruction of the relatively new chapel was required for purely utilitarian reasons. In 1504, during excavations in the Vatican, carried out before construction, the unsteady soils of the Eternal City could not stand it, and the Sistine Chapel “floated”.

Its southern wall was tilted, and the ceiling was disfigured by a huge crack. The cathedral's architect, Bramante, was able to stop further destruction of the chapel, but the paintings on the vaults were hopelessly damaged.

Michelangelo was invited to create new ceiling frescoes. It cannot be said that this order pleased him, especially since he had almost no experience in fresco painting, but the generous payment was able to soften his heart. In addition, Michelangelo perceived this work as a kind of challenge to him as a creator and inventor.

Fresco by Perugino "Transfer of the Keys" (1481–1482)

During 1508-12. he created 57 frescoes. 9 large fragments located in the center of the vault from the entrance to the altar wall illustrate the Book of Genesis - from the Creation of the world to the Flood. They are grouped according to the principle of a triptych: the central episodes tell about the main events (the creation of Adam and Eve and the Expulsion), the side ones complement the story.

The illusion of relief of the paintings is created by a complex play of light and shadow on the architectural elements of the vault, which depict biblical scenes and individual figures of sibyls and prophets. To fully appreciate the skill of a genius, you need to constantly move around the hall, and not stay at one point.

The reason for the appearance of pagan and Old Testament subjects in the Catholic church, and not, as originally planned, the figures of the Apostles, was the favor of Pope Julius II towards the Renaissance idea of the continuity of the ancient and Christian worlds.

The Holy Prophet Zechariah is the father of John the Baptist.

Above the entrance to the Sistine Chapel, where the figure of Jesus was supposed to be located, Michelangelo depicted the prophet Zechariah. Wanting to avoid papal wrath, the master endowed the prophet with the features of Julius II and dressed him in a robe in the colors of the house of della Rovere - blue and gold. But if you look closely at the angel figures behind Zechariah’s shoulder, you can see one of the kids showing the audience a cookie.

However, modern interpreters go even further and attribute more obscene things to Michelangelo, finding images of the reproductive organs of a man and a woman in the folds of robes in the fresco “The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Planets.”

Sistine Chapel in the Vatican: "The Last Judgment"

The altar wall is a huge fresco by Michelangelo depicting Last Judgment(1536-41). The subject is quite traditional for temple paintings, but absolutely unusual in execution.

Medieval canons prescribed to emphasize the hierarchy of characters with different scales of figures located strictly at different levels. Michelangelo's fresco, for which the Sistine Chapel is famous, is extremely realistic in this regard: both sinners and righteous people are equal before the face of God.

The central figure of Christ carrying out the Last Judgment is also unusual. This is not a bearded almost old man with a haggard face, but a muscular, clean-shaven young man who is about to get up and with a gesture of his right hand will set in motion the entire host of souls.

The dynamism of the fresco is also given by the intense struggle between angels, literally snatching out saved souls, and devils, rushing to throw vicious souls into hell.

“The Last Judgment” on the altar wall of the chapel

At the top of the “Last Judgment” angels are depicted, traditionally carrying the instruments of the Passion of Christ - a column, a cross and a crown of thorns. However, in order to emphasize not the physical, but the spiritual weight of these weapons, Michelangelo depicted the angels as wingless. Charon's boat carrying those doomed to eternal torment (lower right corner of the fresco) is a tribute to Dante and his Divine Comedy.

To hell in the form of Minos, whose reproductive organ is bitten off by the serpent, Michelangelo placed Biagio de Cesena, the papal master of ceremonies, outraged by the abundance of naked figures. According to legend, Cesena turned to Paul III for protection, asking him to destroy such a shameful image, but the pope also had a sense of humor, and the unfortunate master of ceremonies received the answer: “Hell is outside the papal jurisdiction.”

Nevertheless, already in 1555, by order of Paul IV, Daniele da Volterra properly covered his private parts, for which he received the nickname “the tailor.”

“Creation of the luminaries” (let there be luminaries in the firmament of heaven...)

There is also an alleged self-portrait of Michelangelo on the “Last Judgment” fresco, but it is also quite peculiar. At the left foot of Christ sits Saint Bartholomew, holding a knife and flayed skin in his hands. The image of the saint is depicted by Pietro Aretino, who accused the master of heresy, which in those days was tantamount to a death sentence, and the facial features of Michelangelo himself can be discerned on the skin.

The Last Judgment is a fresco by Michelangelo on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The artist worked on the fresco for four years - from 1537 to 1541. Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel twenty-five years later after completing the painting of its ceiling. The large-scale fresco occupies the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. Its theme was the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse.

Sistine Chapel, back wall, painting "The Last Judgment" (Michelangelo Buonarotti, 1539, when he was 87 years old).

Center "Last Judgment". Here the main figure is Christ, who decides the fate of the human race. With a gesture of his hand, he curses most of humanity and sends them to hell, but some of them are saved and go to heaven. Even Madonna, being near him, seemed to crouch down in fear.

Above Christ on the left, angels overturn a cross, a symbol of martyrdom and humiliation.

Above Christ on the right, angels are throwing down a column, a symbol of passing earthly power.

Christ, with fiery lightning in his hand, inexorably divides all the inhabitants of the earth into the saved righteous, depicted on the left side of the composition, and sinners descending into Dante's hell (the right side of the fresco).

Bottom right: Saint Bartholomew holds a piece of his own skin in his left hand and a knife in his right hand. This symbolizes the terrible fate of Bartholomew, who was flayed alive:

Seven angels sound a trumpet and announce the hour of judgment.

Saved souls rise up, tombs open, the dead are resurrected, skeletons rise from the ground.

The man being dragged down by the devil covers his face with his hands in horror.

Devils in a joyful frenzy drag the naked bodies of the proud, heretics, traitors... men and women throw themselves into a bottomless abyss:

In the lower part of the fresco, Charon, the ferryman across the hellish river, ferociously expels those condemned to eternal torment from his boat into hell with blows of the oar.

In The Last Judgment, Michelangelo somewhat departed from traditional iconography. Conventionally, the composition can be divided into three parts:

The upper part (lunettes) are flying angels, with attributes of the Passion of Christ.

The central part is Christ and the Virgin Mary between the blessed.

Lower - the end of times: angels playing the trumpets of the Apocalypse, the resurrection of the dead, the ascension of the saved to heaven and the casting of sinners into Hell.

“The Last Judgment” is considered the work that completed the Renaissance era in art, to which Michelangelo himself paid tribute in painting the ceiling and vaults of the Sistine Chapel.

Job Michelangelo "The Last Judgment" , now being a masterpiece, was previously subjected to extremely harsh assessment and criticism. It was called a frankly obscene painting that served to betray the truth of the Gospel. The papal court did not accept the result in the form of a huge fresco that occupied the entire wall behind the Sistine Chapel. The basis of the “Last Judgment” was the Second Coming of Christ, which in general is the fundamental idea on which Christianity is based. This implies the return of Jesus followed by the onset of the Apocalypse. He worked on his grandiose work for more than five years.

“The Last Judgment” acted as one of the main ideas implemented as huge church frescoes. Traditionally, such frescoes found their place above the main entrance to the city, on the back side. The fact that the painting was placed above the altar made it even more unusual. This is not surprising, because in this way the traditional canons were ignored, and therefore this became a reason for indignation, not to mention the destructive criticism of the film “The Last Judgment.”

Michelangelo's painting was painted under inspiration from the Bible, where, in particular, the future Apocalypse was reflected. The Divine Comedy, Dante’s famous work, played its role. However, despite such factors influencing the essence of the result, “The Last Judgment” still reflects its own vision of the fate that awaits humanity.

The characters from Michelangelo's fresco "The Last Judgment", by the way, turned out to be more than recognizable in it. So, the background for it is the blue sky, in the center is the Virgin Mary. The judge, as is clear, is Christ, who decides human destinies with a gesture of his hand. According to some researchers, the face of Jesus in the Last Judgment fresco is a portrait of Michelangelo’s favorite student. It was Tomazzo Cavalieri.

Michelangelo "The Last Judgment": Heinrich William Pfeiffer

For the first time, the artist depicted Christ unrecognizable. It’s not clear how something like this could happen, practically next to a church? After all, it was in it that the truly existing image was worshiped. Apparently the finished work is more similar to Apollo Belvedere, whose bust was often recreated during pagan times.

Near Christ, as noted, is the Virgin Mary. His mother sits with her face down, which allows her to not see her son dispensing justice. Moreover, otherwise any of her intercession will have no force. It is generally accepted that master Michelangelo depicted his own admirer and close friend, Vittoria Colonna, in this fresco of his “The Last Judgment.” The latter was the daughter of one of the most noble families in Italy, the couple Agnes di Montefeltro and Fabrizio Colonna.

The similarity of St. Bartholomew with the Italian writer Pietro Aretino

When examining Michelangelo's fresco "The Last Judgment", historians also revealed the similarity of St. Bartholomew with the Italian writer, Pietro Aretino. He was also a blackmailer and satirist. In addition, in his time he exerted a strong influence on the field of art as a whole. And finally, Aretino is generally considered to be the progenitor of modern examples of erotic literature.

In the Last Judgment fresco, he holds in his hands a flayed skin, on which, in turn, you can see a self-portrait of Michelangelo. It is likely that the master in a similar way indicated how he sees Aretino’s slander against him. The reason for this was Michelangelo’s rejection of the advice that the writer gave him regarding his work “The Last Judgment.”

Saint Peter, who returns the keys to the church to Jesus, recalls Paul III, who reigned from 1534 to 1549, that is, at the time the fresco was created.

Trumpeting angels on the Last Judgment fresco

Bottom of the painting

At the bottom of the painting of this work by Michelangelo, from among the bodies that are resurrected after death, upon careful examination you can see a person half emerging from the ground. In this case we are talking about Girolamo Savanrola, a religious preacher of Italian origin. He was a member of the Dominican Order, and was later charged with schismatics.

As a result, Pope Alexander VI excommunicated him from the church, after which he was sentenced to death by hanging and burning as a heretic. This happened in 1497. Michelangelo's Last Judgment practically predicted the beatification of Savanrola. What is noteworthy is that it took place in Florence in 1997, that is, after many hundreds of years.

If you pay attention to the lower right corner, then in Michelangelo’s work “The Last Judgment” you can see the master of ceremonies under Paul III, Biagio da Cesena. Here he appeared in the guise of the chief judge in the underworld - Minos. The latter was in complete surprise and shock from the twisted and naked bodies depicted by the artist. Michelangelo's fresco "The Last Judgment" was subject to severe criticism on his part, in which he focused on the fact that such a shameful spectacle was simply unacceptable in a sacred place. In his opinion, the maximum where Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” will fit successfully is a tavern or a bathhouse.

Master Michelangelo’s reaction was not long in coming, therefore, as a hint of special mental abilities, he added the ears of a donkey to the master of ceremonies in his image in the fresco “The Last Judgment.” Having been subjected to such humiliation, he turned with a complaint to the ruling pope. The latter, in turn, answered Cesena that he had no power at all, be it about hell or about the devil itself, and therefore it was better if he himself could come to an agreement with Michelangelo.

Secrets of the Last Judgment fresco as its property

Needless to say, Michelangelo’s work “The Last Judgment,” which was scandalous in many ways, gave rise to fierce disputes between critics representing the Catholic Reformation and those who considered the artist a genius. Michelangelo was accused of not following the truth dictated by the Bible, and, moreover, endowing Christian themes with pagan mythology. Cardinal Caraffa reacted extremely negatively to the presence of naked characters in the chapel at the main Christian temple. This led to the fact that they organized a whole campaign adhering to censorship and demanding the destruction of the Last Judgment fresco, which, in their opinion, was indecent. Despite this, Michelangelo had a very high authority. For this reason, no one dared to correct the scandalous painting above the altar while the master was alive.

Hidden nudity

In 1564, and this is more than 20 years since the death of Michelangelo, the Congregation of the Trentian Council decided to hide the nudity of the figures depicted in the fresco. The painting of the genitals was entrusted to Daniela da Volterra, a fierce and sincere admirer of the great master Michelangelo. Considering who the performer was, changes were kept to a minimum while preserving the original painting as much as possible. However, the story of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” does not end there. The death of Pius IV, the then pope, which occurred in December 1565, necessitated the removal of the scaffolding from the chapel. The funeral was to be held here, and after that a conclave was scheduled to gather.

Michelangelo's fresco often became a topic of discussion under Pope Pius V. In particular, the ideas for it boiled down to a new painting, that is, the Last Judgment should have been replaced. The same idea arose under Gregory XIII, as well as under Clement VIII. One way or another, no one decided to completely destroy the fresco. Only some fragments in it were subject to correction. In total, forty figures were subject to repainting, for which the fresco secco technique was used, which involves applying changes to dry plaster.

Thanks to this effect on the surface of the painting, it was possible to restore the “Last Judgment” in the original, which happened during the restoration of the chapel that began in 1990. It was decided to remove those changes that were made to the painting “The Last Judgment” after 1600. Only those changes that were made by Volterra were left.

The Sistine Chapel is a sanctuary of the human body

Michelangelo's work "The Last Judgment", devoid of layers of dust and soot and noticeably updated, was presented by John Paul II as part of a solemn mass on April 8, 1994. Thus, they drew a line in a dispute that had been simmering for many centuries. Speaking about the appropriateness of the naked bodies depicted in the work “The Last Judgment” in the chapel, the pope pointed out that in itself