Editing Sistine Chapel (section)

== Frescoes ==
[[File:Eventos de la vida de Moisés (Sandro Botticelli).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|''Trials of Moses'' by Botticelli]]

=== Southern wall ===
The southern wall is decorated with the ''Stories of Moses'', painted in 1481–1482. Starting from the altar, they include:
* ''[[Moses Leaving for Egypt (Perugino)|Moses Leaving for Egypt]]'' by [[Pietro Perugino]] and assistants
* ''[[The Trials of Moses]]'' by [[Sandro Botticelli]] and his workshop
* ''[[The Crossing of the Red Sea (Sistine Chapel)|The Crossing of the Red Sea]]'' by [[Cosimo Rosselli]], [[Domenico Ghirlandaio]] or [[Biagio di Antonio Tucci]]
* ''[[Descent from Mount Sinai (Sistine Chapel)|Descent from Mount Sinai]]'' by Cosimo Rosselli or [[Piero di Cosimo]]
* ''[[Punishment of the Rebels]]'' by Sandro Botticelli
* ''[[Testament and Death of Moses]]'' by [[Luca Signorelli]] or [[Bartolomeo della Gatta]]
<gallery>
File:Pietro Perugino cat13d.jpg|Moses Leaving for Egypt
File:Botticcelli, Sandro - The Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron - 1481-82.jpg|Punishment of the Rebels
</gallery>

=== Northern wall ===
[[File:Perugino - Entrega de las llaves a San Pedro (Capilla Sixtina, 1481-82).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|''[[Delivery of the Keys]]'' by Perugino]]
The northern wall houses the ''Stories of Jesus'', dating to 1481–1482. They include:
* ''[[Baptism of Christ (Sistine Chapel)|Baptism of Christ]]'' by Pietro Perugino and assistants
* ''[[Temptations of Christ (Botticelli)|Temptations of Christ]]'' by Sandro Botticelli
* ''[[Vocation of the Apostles]]'' by Domenico Ghirlandaio
* The ''[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cosimo_Rosselli_Sermone_della_Montagna.jpg Sermon on the Mount]'', attributed to Cosimo Rosselli
* The ''[[Delivery of the Keys]]'' by Pietro Perugino
* The ''[[Last Supper (Rosselli)|Last Supper]]'' by Cosimo Rosselli

=== Eastern wall ===
[[File:Hendrick van den Broeck - Resurrección de Cristo (Capilla Sixtina, Roma, 1572-85).jpg|thumb|300px|''Resurrection of Christ'']]
*''[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hendrick_van_den_Broeck_-_The_resurrection_of_Christ.jpg Resurrection of Christ]'' by [[Hendrick van den Broeck]] (1572) over Domenico Ghirlandaio's original
* ''[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matteo_da_Lecce_-_Disputa_junto_al_cuerpo_de_Moisés_(Capilla_Sixtina,_Roma,_1572-85).jpg Disputation over Moses' Body]'' by [[Matteo da Lecce]] (1574) over Luca Signorelli's original

=== Michelangelo's frescoes ===
[[File:Creación de Adám.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|''[[The Creation of Adam]]'' by Michelangelo]]
Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1508 to repaint the vault, or ceiling, of the chapel.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Marinazzo|first=Adriano|date=2013|title=Ipotesi su un disegno michelangiolesco del foglio XIII, 175 v, dell'Archivio Buonarroti|url=https://www.academia.edu/19527167|journal=Commentari d'arte|volume=52–53|pages=108–110|access-date=29 March 2021|archive-date=2 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102172743/https://www.academia.edu/19527167|url-status=live}}</ref> The work was completed between 1508 and late 1512.<ref name="Dixon2">{{Harvnb|Graham-Dixon|2009|p=2}}</ref> He painted the ''Last Judgment'' over the [[altar]], between 1535 and 1541, on commission from [[Pope Paul III]] Farnese.<ref>{{Citation |last=Stollhans |first=Cynthia |year=1988 |title=Michelangelo's Nude Saint Catherine of Alexandria |journal=Woman's Art Journal |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=26–30 |issn=0270-7993 |doi=10.2307/1358651 |publisher=Woman's Art, Inc. |postscript=. |jstor=1358651}}</ref>

Michelangelo was intimidated by the scale of the commission, and made it known from the outset of Julius II's approach that he would prefer to decline. He felt he was more of a sculptor than a painter, and was suspicious that such a large-scale project was being offered to him by enemies as a set-up for an inevitable fall. For Michelangelo, the project was a distraction from the major marble sculpture that had preoccupied him for the previous few years.<ref>{{Harvnb|Graham-Dixon|2009|p=1}}</ref>
The sources of Michelangelo's inspiration are not easily determined; both Joachite and [[Augustinianism|Augustinian]] theologians were within the sphere of Julius' influence.<ref>{{Harvnb|Graham-Dixon|2009|p=xi}}</ref>

==== Ceiling ====
{{Main|Sistine Chapel ceiling}}
{{See also|Gallery of Sistine Chapel ceiling}}
[[File:Chapelle sixtine plafond.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|A section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling]]
To be able to reach the ceiling, Michelangelo needed a support; the first idea was by Julius' favoured architect [[Donato Bramante]], who wanted to build for him a [[Scaffolding|scaffold]] to be suspended in the air with ropes. However, Bramante did not successfully complete the task, and the structure he built was flawed. He had perforated the vault in order to lower strings to secure the scaffold. Michelangelo laughed when he saw the structure, and believed it would leave holes in the ceiling once the work was ended. He asked Bramante what was to happen when the painter reached the perforations, but the architect had no answer.

The matter was taken before the Pope, who ordered Michelangelo to build a scaffold of his own. Michelangelo created a flat wooden platform on brackets built out from holes in the wall, high up near the top of the windows. Contrary to popular belief, he did not lie on this scaffolding while he painted, but painted from a standing position.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-sistine-chapel |title=7 Things You May Not Know About the Sistine Chapel |date=November 2012 |access-date=12 February 2014 |archive-date=20 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720163315/http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-sistine-chapel |url-status=live }}</ref>

Michelangelo used bright colours, easily visible from the floor. On the lowest part of the ceiling he painted the ancestors of Christ. Above this he alternated male and female prophets, with [[Jonah]] over the altar. On the highest section, Michelangelo painted nine stories from the [[Book of Genesis]]. He was originally commissioned to paint only twelve figures, the [[Twelve Apostles|Apostles]]. He turned down the commission because he saw himself as a sculptor, not a painter. The Pope offered to allow Michelangelo to paint biblical scenes of his own choice as a compromise. After the work was finished, there were more than three hundred figures. His figures showed the creation, [[Adam and Eve]] in the [[Garden of Eden]], and the [[Great Flood]].

The painted area is about 40&nbsp;m (131&nbsp;ft) long by 13&nbsp;m (43&nbsp;ft) wide. This means that Michelangelo painted well over {{convert|5000|sqft|m2}} of frescoes.<ref>{{citation |url=http://arthistory.about.com/od/famous_paintings/a/sischap_ceiling.htm |title=Michelangelo – The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, "Seven Common Questions About the Frescoes" |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-date=22 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822041856/http://arthistory.about.com/od/famous_paintings/a/sischap_ceiling.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====''The Last Judgement''====<!---NOTE: BRITISH English in use. Do not remove the "e".--->
{{Main|The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)}}
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2020}}
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''The Last Judgement'' was painted by Michelangelo from 1535 to 1541, between two important historic events: the Sack of Rome by mercenary forces of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 1527, and the [[Council of Trent]] which commenced in 1545. The work was designed on a grand scale, and spans the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. The painting depicts the second coming of Christ on the [[Last Judgment|Day of Judgment]] as described in the [[Revelation of John]], Chapter 20. High on the wall is the heroic figure of Christ, with the saints clustered in groups around him. At the bottom left of the painting the dead are raised from their graves and ascend to be judged. To the right are those who are assigned to [[Hell]] and are dragged down by demons.

''The Last Judgement'' was an object of a bitter dispute between [[Pope Paul IV|Cardinal Carafa]] and Michelangelo. Because he depicted naked figures, the artist was accused of immorality and obscenity. A censorship campaign (known as the "Fig-Leaf Campaign") was organized by Carafa and Monsignor Sernini ([[Mantua]]'s ambassador) to remove the frescoes. From this campaign drew support for the more natural state of the figures. In response, phallic imagery began permeating throughout Vatican City, beginning the trend of the crude drawings in places such as in graffiti art in bathrooms, textbooks, and other public places to be easily found. This trend continues to the present day.

The Pope's Master of Ceremonies [[Biagio da Cesena]] said "it was most disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have been depicted all those nude figures, exposing themselves so shamefully, and that it was no work for a papal chapel but rather for the public baths and taverns."<ref>{{Harvnb|Vasari|1987|p=379}}</ref> In response Michelangelo worked da Cesena's semblance into the scene as [[Minos]], judge of the underworld. It is said that when he complained to the Pope, the pontiff responded that his jurisdiction did not extend to hell, so the portrait would have to remain. Michelangelo also painted his own portrait, on the flayed skin held by [[St. Bartholomew]].

The [[Sex organs|genitalia]] in the fresco were later covered by the artist [[Daniele da Volterra]], whom history remembers by the derogatory nickname "Il Braghettone" ("the breeches-painter").