“The Last Judgement” by Michael Angelo

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Context of Work
Historical Background
Content of Work
Formal Elements. Principles of Work
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The Last Judgement by Michael Angelo is the masterpiece that strikes people with its beauty and deep philosophical approach towards the theme. The painting conveys the act of the second come of Christ, and the apocalypse. It is a fresco that is situated in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It is known that it took Michael Angelo four years to complete his work of art somewhere between 1537 and 1541. It has to be said that the entire work is so massive that it covers the back wall of altar of Sistine Chapel. The plot of the painting is that Christ is judging the dead, who in their turn rise from the tombs, recall their fates and now have to answer before the son of God for every deed they carried out. The ones who help Christ are the people of exceptional holiness – the saints. The painting itself is the world’s masterpiece reflecting the times and culture it was painted in (Fiero, p. 4). This paper will disclose the intrinsic and extrinsic meanings of The Last Judgement and their relation.

Context of Work

The work itself is a wonderful reflection of all the religious issues that took place in Europe those times. However, not all the issues are presented in the painting. Namely, those were the times of utmost disagreeing of people with the church’s order. When Pope Julius ordered to rebuild St.Peter’s Cathedral more fees had to be taken for funerals, marriages, and baptism. People did not like it. Moreover, those were the times of permitted sale of indulgence, which is not described within the painting. However, there are those issues in the work that prevailed within the society: the church’s attempts to make changes, and using of information from the Bible. The painting suggests that Jesus is coming in order to set apart the evil and the good. Therefore, the context of The Last Judgement is all about the importance of following the faith.

It is important to mention that the Pope Clement VII was studying the work of Copernicus concerning heliocentric system. This is believed to change the work’s perception by Michelangelo due to Pope’s instructions. The Last Judgement does not convey common description of heaven: the horizontal lines that distinguish earth, heaven, and hell. It is explicitly seen the way Christ is depicted – in the light, in the middle of the painting; just the way all planets spin around the Sun. This proves the fact the painting may be an explanation of the new cosmology.

Historical Background

The Last Judgement forced Cardibal Carafa and Michelangelo to resort to heavy debates due to naked bodies depicted in the painting, which was unacceptable according to the set of society morality. Namely, the obscenity was regarded in the genitals painted right inside the most essential temple of Christianity. Moreover, in regard to the outrageous painting the ‘Fig-Leaf Campaign’ was designed by Carafa and Monsignor Sernini in order to put the work through censorship and with an utmost desire to get rid of fresco. Moreover, within these debates there occurred another controversial situation when pontiff had to extricate himself from a difficult situation because the example of Minos painting was put forward in comparison to Michelangelo’s nude figures. So, he said that in was not his jurisdiction to handle hell’s depiction (Barnes, p. 76).

However, the fresco was restored in 1993, hence unbelievable discoveries were made. Once the half of fig-leaves were removed, it appeared that the character directly below and to the right of St. Bartholomew was a female, though for centuries she considered to be a man.

Content of Work

It is remarkable that the theme chosen by Michelangelo for his work is not the last judgment as traditionally, but its beginning. The content of the painting is interesting due to the beardless Christ and wingless angels; also it is unusual to see the theme of passion of Christ within the last judgment topic. However, still the basic elements of the iconography are well observed. The work is divided in two main perspectives: the sky with Christ and his mother and the earth – with the scenes of arising dead and their further division in righteous and sinner men. The angels trumpet about the beginning of the last judgment, in the right lower corner is St. Lawrence with the grid on which he was burnt later, the dead people are opening their eyes with horror and fear and appear before Christ. The artist skillfully depicts various sinners who, according to their sins, arise easily or slowly. (Angelo, n.p.)

Formal Elements. Principles of Work

The work is remarkable for its close tonal line and the restrained palette. However, this does not make The Last Judgement less breath taking. The lines and colors determine the power and energy which is, of course, evidently apparent to all the viewers and admirers. It is remarkable that the painting presents one of the first works exposing the three-dimensionality of the forms. The bodies are luminous, the garments are separate elements though they add distinctness to the bodies of the persons. Each color is very distinct though successfully and powerfully pierced through with other hues. Michelangelo painted the perfect muscled bodies in flawless lines and balance. Moreover, the figures of The Last Judgement are considered to be the implementation of feelings (Partridge, p.81).

It is decidedly that the symmetry in the painting by Michael Angelo is thoroughly kept to. The entire piece of art represents proportional picture of souls and other characters approaching Christ. And this symmetry is somewhat fearful, enhanced by the flame emerging from beneath the Earth, from Hell. The focal area is the center, of course, Christ with his helpers – angels, and his mother. The entire painting seems to stream in the center to Christ. However, there is definitely a unity observed due to symmetrically depicted images of people on the left side and right side of the fresco.

Conclusion

The analysis of the representation of The Last Judgment provides deep understanding of the context and content of work, which are inherently interrelated immensely. The intrinsic and extrinsic meanings relate to each other through the desire to provide and willingness to acquire the religious education depicted in the painting. The Last Judgment reveals spoken and unspoken sets of social rules inherent in medieval urban life, moreover, they happen to be presented in the painting as legalized divine judgment. Although the painting had to undergo serious changes through centuries and misunderstandings due to religious belief, it is still situated in Sistine Chapel in order to remind viewers about the attempts of Michelangelo’s contemporaries to reach God and give us an opportunity not to lose faith.

Works Cited

Angelo, Michael. The Last Judgement. 1537 – 1541. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. Web.

Barnes, Bernadine. Michelangelo’s Last Judgment: The Renaissance Response. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1998. Print.

Fiero, Gloria. The Humanistic Tradition Volume II: The Early Modern World to the Present. Desoto: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Partridge, Loren. Michelangelo: The Last Judgement – A Glorious Restoration. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000. Print.

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