michelangelo the sistine chapel frescos
On the 10th of May 1508 I signed a contract to agree to fulfill Pope Julius'commission on painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I had bad feelings about thewhole thing from the day Julius commissioned me to paint instead of sculpt. I am anarchitect and sculptor not a fresco painter. It is not that I doubt my ability's to completesuch a task, but I believe that there are other artists that would be much better suited forthe job than I. It is of course an honor to be chosen to paint such a ceiling and Julius isfar to stubborn to find anyone else but myself, so I will paint and I will make it one of thegreatest fresco paintings there will ever be.(Brandes, 254). The scaffolding that was to be used for the work was horrible. Bramante haddesigned a scaffolding that required holes in my ceiling. How was I to paint a gloriouswork of art with holes in it! The first thing I did was have his scaffolding torn apart. Ithen designed a new structure; my ingenious scaffold increased its strength with the weight that was put on it. I mounted floor boards along obliquely running columns thatwere separated my wedges of wood. Maybe Julius has chosen the right man for the job I sent to Florence for a number of assistance to h
Julius insisted once again that I take down my scaffold so that he may see mywork. I refused again and told him that I was not even half finished with the project, andif I was to show off an unfinished piece of art it would not be truly appreciated andunderstood. By this point Julius was enraged and threatened to throw me off thescaffold, so I gave in to the fool and allowed the scaffold to be torn down. To show the reality in this painting of Noah I will place him collapsed on theground next to a jug of wine. His sons will be around him giving him support andcomfort as he struggles to understand what God's plan is for him and his family. Noah issuch a peaceful man with a lot on his mind and this is how I will paint him. (Camesasca, I had a vision for the ceiling while outside daydreaming today. I will paint theCreation of Man and the Creation of the Universe, I will tie in the already existingfrescos on the walls to the ceiling frescos by painting events that preceded the two epochof Sub lege and Sub gracia. I will include in my masterpiece many dramatic biblicalevents such as: Separation of Light from Darkness; the Creation of the Sun, Moon andhe Stars; Creation of the Waters and the Creation of the Animals; Creation of Adam;Creation of Eve; Fall of Man and the Expulsion from Paradise; Sacrifice of Noah; Flood;and Intoxication of Noah. (Brandes, 260). Julius is persistent on wanting to see my frescos, but I tell him that I will not lethim see them until it is a finished project. A great masterpiece such as this cannot beviewed by public eyes before it is finished, just as a pie cannot be eaten half-baked. Itgets worse with every day and every week I may have to give in to Julius and let him seewhat I have created so far. paint the fresco's I became very uninspired by the idea of the 12 apostles I was upset andconfused. I knew that this was not the right idea for the ceiling.(Redig De Campos, 170). On the left side of the painting Eve reaches out toward to grab fruit from the tree as theserpent intises the couple to try it. I used a great amount of detail on the muscles ofAdam in this fresco and I am able to tie together the art of sculpting to my newly foundtalent of
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1488
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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