Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, left side. Photo from Wikipedia.
"She has done a beautiful thing for me." ~ Jesus, recorded in Matthew 26:10
I was thirteen when I saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I remember walking into the chapel, looking up at the ceiling and simply gawking, as has anyone else who has visited the place. Centuries of over famous Bible characters adorn the frescoed ceiling as Michaelangelo painted them there over the years of 1508-1512. There are no words to describe the colors and the energy of life emanating from the 343 figures depicted high above you. (Be sure to click on the photo, then click again on it and study it a bit, to get a little of the effect.)
The record says that Michaelangelo read and reread the Old Testament while painting the ceiling. Those stories must have sunk deep into his soul. Pope John Paul II stated in 1994, "The Sistine Chapel is precisely – if one may say so – the sanctuary of the theology of the human body. In witnessing to the beauty of man created by God as male and female, it also expresses in a certain way, the hope of a world transfigured, the world inaugurated by the Risen Christ."
Would I have spent four years of my life standing and painting, with my head craned back and my eyes always looking up, up? What is the point of painting a ceiling for four years? How important is a ceiling, especially one that would not be seen by the common person? Why not a sculpture in the town square? (In Michaelangelo's case, it sounds like he didn't have much choice; the pope was adamant that he do the painting, despite the fact that he was a sculptor.) Why make one room in a huge church complex so opulent? Is that not a waste of time and resources? Isn't the point to worship, even if it is in a barn or a warehouse? The human and monetary resources spent on a place like the basilica and its attached chapels in Rome is staggering.
Compare this to the work of Mother Teresa over the years, ministering gently to the poor and outcasts of society. Was this not a greater work?
[to be continued]
You sound very Protestant. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too.
In reading the Old Testament we see that the grandeur of the tabernacle and temple was made possible by hours of tedious work of builders and artisans. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel has drawn admirers for 500 years. I hope someday to see it too. There is room for both artists and Mother Theresas to worship God.
ReplyDeleteWow. I had no idea it was so bright and colourful. I'm sure it's been restored, but still...I always pictured it pale and fading. I've never been to Italy. Not yet...
ReplyDelete