The Sistine Chapel

*Includes pictures

*Includes contemporary descriptions of Michelangelo and his work

*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading

In 1503, Pope Julius II had succeeded the notorious Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), and Julius II brought an appreciation for the arts to the papacy. After Michelangelo finished the flurry of works that he had worked on during the previous four years, he was commissioned by Pope Julius II to complete a tomb in the Pope's honor. The project was to be massive in scope, and the tomb was to be placed inside of St. Peter's Basilica, the construction of which was intended to take place while Michelangelo designed the tomb.

Michelangelo approached the project with great ambition, delegating a full six months alone to selecting the marble to be used for the tomb. For this task, he traveled to Carrara, a city in the Tuscany region that had been the source for the marble used in many of his earlier works. Michelangelo devoted himself exclusively to the project until 1506, at which point he returned to Rome due to a lack of available money. Consequently, he relocated back to Florence despite having no projects commissioned there, but the temperamental Pope Julius then ordered him back to Rome, threatening to wage war on Florence if he failed to return. With no alternative, Michelangelo returned to Rome later in 1506, but the project was doomed to fail with Pope Julius in command. Julius was suspicious and eventually became consumed with the belief that it was bad luck to have one's tomb built during his lifetime. As a result, the project was aborted altogether in 1508.

Despite terminating the completion of his own tomb, Pope Julius harbored no animosity toward Michelangelo and remained a great admirer of his work. After putting an end to the tomb project, he commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, possibly at the goading of Donate Bramante and Raphael, both of whom were jealous of the fame bestowed upon Michelangelo. Although Michelangelo usually relished challenges, Vasari suggests he was reluctant to work on the Sistine Chapel: "Michelangelo tried every means to avoid it, and recommended Raphael, for he saw the difficulty of the work, knew his lack of skill in coloring, and wanted to finish the tomb."

Painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an undertaking of almost inconceivable proportions. After all, the Sistine Chapel was located in the enormous Papal Chapel in the Vatican, and its immense size posed major challenges, not only with regard to the expansiveness of the ceiling but also due to its height. Being able to reach the ceiling was difficult, and a scaffold constructed from the floor upward to the ceiling would have been unstable. In order to circumvent this difficulty, Michelangelo designed a scaffold built from holes in the wall near the windows, which allowed him increased flexibility and access.

To most, God is seen as an elderly, but majestic figure with snow-white locks and an elegant beard, with kind, soulful eyes and deep grooves on a broad forehead that tell of pure wisdom. Some might picture Him with a crown of light and even a gilded scepter, the hem of his flowing white robes rippling as He poses on the edge of a cloud. For this depiction that almost certainly springs to mind upon mention of the Christian deity, one can extend their gratitude to none other than Michelangelo. His portrayal of God in the famous Creation of Adam, found on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, was the first to capture the Holy Father in such a fashion. Prior to this bold move, God was nothing more than a faceless hand outstretched from the heavens. The Creation of Adam is only one of the multitude of brilliant treasures of the Italian Renaissance that lie within the Sistine Chapel. In the same breath, Michelangelo is only one of the names associated with the historic work of art.