Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo Essay

Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel was a work of truly epic proportions that really defined the artist as an auteur. Today, a filmmaker for example is often described as an auteur (French for "author") if he is given or wields total control over the film from the visionary stages through to planning, production, shooting and editing: the work is considered the total product of his or her vision. Such recognized auteurs are rare and are considered not just as "authors" but also as authorities (the short list includes filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan et al.). Their works are sprawling, complex, inventive, and original. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel (both the ceiling and the Last Judgment painted on the altar wall) was truly one of the greatest works of epic proportions ever painted by a Renaissance artist ("Sistine Chapel Ceiling") -- a work that essentially set the bar for what it meant to be an auteur.

Michelangelo was given complete control over the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling -- and the result was that it took nearly 20 years for him to complete it. Like the works of many auteurs today, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel was a labor of love that turned into something of a life project. His vision was so grand and encompassing that it sought to express the whole of Christian philosophy, theology, history, and truth in painting while creating a unique architectural effect (the painting is framed by painted columns and contoured to address the effect of the curvature of the ceiling) ("Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel"). Michelangelo sought to represent in art the mysteries of the universe and of the Christian faith. He also incorporated the pagan visionaries into his narrative, suggesting that their prophecies add and support the overall Christian story of history. The result was a work that was inclusive, expansive, rich in detail and thought, and sumptuous in expression. Michelangelo's vivid recreation of the human form in painting was so unique that it inspired many other artists to learn in fine detail the anatomy of the human body so that they too could show their skills.

Part of what made Michelangelo's work come to life was the humanistic focus of the Renaissance: it was a time in Italy during which great wealth was pouring into the country and old, classical forms were being rediscovered (the works and myths of the pagan Greeks and Romans for example). Michelangelo turned his attention to the human ideal (he had already expressed this ideal form in his statue David): he wanted to show in painting what man was like before the Fall (Adam at the moment of creation) and how man was transformed after the Fall. He wanted to depict the effect of sin on man's soul and man's features -- which he did in the Last Judgment: there are images of men falling out of their skin -- their physical bodies separating from their metaphysical souls; demons from Hell reaching up and trying to pull souls down that are ascending towards…