Wallace says, "If we consider the number of perspective problems attendant to painting on the curved and irregular surfaces of the vault, it is reasonable that Michelangelo entrusted some of the architectural painting to Aristotile, thereby fostering what became one of the latter's foremost talents" (327). Wallace also provides additional arguments regarding other assistants who stayed to help Michelangelo, as well.
Since there is presently no way to go back in history to actually see who did the work on the ceiling or what it actually looked like when completed, these questions about color and help from assistants will remain indefinitely. The questions that the critics raise, however, should be faced when considering restoration of other work in the future. Is it better to leave well enough alone, although with time the artwork will eventually wear away? Or is it better to restore the artwork with the fear that it does not look like the artist's original? As can be seen by the controversy that continues to rage on about this topic, there is no right or wrong answers to these questions.
References Cited
Beck, James. The Final Layer: 'L'ultima mano' on Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling. Art Bulletin, LXX, 1988, 503.
Beck, James Art Restoration: The Culture, the Business, and the Scandal. New York W.W. Norton & Company, 1993
Harris, Judith. Debating a Vatican Cover Up. Art News (2010) 109.1, 1572-85
Hoeniger, Catherine. The controversy surrounding the cleaning and conservation of Michelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The…
Sample Source(s) Used
References Cited
Beck, James. The Final Layer: 'L'ultima mano' on Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling. Art Bulletin, LXX, 1988, 503.
Beck, James Art Restoration: The Culture, the Business, and the Scandal. New York W.W. Norton & Company, 1993
Harris, Judith. Debating a Vatican Cover Up. Art News (2010) 109.1, 1572-85
Hoeniger, Catherine. The controversy surrounding the cleaning and conservation of Michelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The Cambridge Companion to Raphael (Marcia Hall, Ed.), Philadelphia: Temple University, 1994.
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