THE SISTINE CHAPEL

Formal Analysis on the painting of The Sistine Chapel

Formal Analysis on the painting of 'The Sistine Chapel'

Introduction

The Sistine Chapel is one of the best distinguished chapels. It was built by Giovannino de' Dolci under the patronage of Pope Sixtus at his official residence between the period 1475 and 1483. Many great artists of that period have worked on the wall designs of the Chapel including Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio, Sandro Botticelli, and Luca Signorelli. The major credit to take the chapel up to that glory rests with Michelangelo who designed the ceiling of the Sustain Chapel under the patronage of the Pope Julius II between the period 1508 and 1512(King, 2003).

Format Analysis of the Painting

Description

The Sistine Chapel was built in exact the same proportional to the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem Pontelli: 130 feet long and 43 feet wide and 65 feet in height (John, Pp.263). Basement and ground floor below the chapel, each of which is divided into nine departments, the latter occupies the offices of Ceremonies. At first glance the whole chapel can be divided into five essential components; standing on the entrance wall, there are two walls on both sides (north and south). One can spot The Last Judgment, designed by Michelangelo, in front, and lastly but not the least, the ceiling of the Chapel, also marvelously decorated by Michelangelo. He and other painters employed a technique known as 'buon fresco' to design the walls. Marble was being used to build the choir stalls, the Screen and the pontifical coat of arms over the entrance wall.

Analysis

Within the chapel, the space at the left side is covered with the rebirth of dead and the two figures standing have their feet within the side of the entrance. Entrance wall contains the work of Ghirlandaio and Signorelli. They illustrated the last episodes respectively; the Resurrection of Christ and the Discussion over the body of Moses.

The north wall of the chapel depicts the lifetime of the Christ starting from Baptism and ends on the Last Supper. The cycle continued beyond the windows which includes Crucifixion and finally finished on the entrance wall on the painting of Resurrection. The south wall portrays the life of Moses beginning from the Journey of Moses in Egypt and ends on legacy and death of Moses. Both walls have eight panels with label in the upper frieze and false drape in the lower section. The current ceiling of the chapel is marvelously decorated by Michelangelo showing nine episodes of Genesis. It has pendentives at each corner of the ceiling with a pair of bronze nude above it. Along with each bronze nude, there are eight triangular spandrels. At the base of the architectural structure, seven Prophets (4 major: Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel; & 3 minor: Jonah, Joel, Zechariah) and 5 Sibyls are seated on colossal thrones. The artist also placed 20 ignudi and 10 medallions at various places of the ceiling (Giudici, 1988).

The second coming of Christ is known as the Last Judgment, and it ...