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Sistine Chapel (Italian: Cappella Sistina) is the best-known chapel in the
Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. Its fame rests
on its architecture, evocative of Solomon's Temple of the Old Testament and on
its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest
Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro
Botticelli. Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted 12,000
square feet (1,100 m2) of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. He
resented the commission, and believed his work only served the Pope's need
for grandeur. However, today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgement,
are widely believed to be Michelangelo's crowning achievements in painting.
The Last Judgment was commissioned from Michelangelo by Pope Clement VII
(1523-1534) shortly before his death. His successor, Paul III Farnese
(1534-1549). forced Michelangelo to a rapid execution of this work, the largest
single fresco of the century.
For this work Michelangelo did not choose one set point from which it should
be viewed. The proportions of the figures and the size of the groups are
determined, as in the Middle Ages, by their single absolute importance and not
by their relative significance. For this reason each figure preserves its own
individuality and both the single figures and the groups need their own
background.
Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. Its fame rests
on its architecture, evocative of Solomon's Temple of the Old Testament and on
its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest
Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro
Botticelli. Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted 12,000
square feet (1,100 m2) of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. He
resented the commission, and believed his work only served the Pope's need
for grandeur. However, today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgement,
are widely believed to be Michelangelo's crowning achievements in painting.
The Last Judgment was commissioned from Michelangelo by Pope Clement VII
(1523-1534) shortly before his death. His successor, Paul III Farnese
(1534-1549). forced Michelangelo to a rapid execution of this work, the largest
single fresco of the century.
For this work Michelangelo did not choose one set point from which it should
be viewed. The proportions of the figures and the size of the groups are
determined, as in the Middle Ages, by their single absolute importance and not
by their relative significance. For this reason each figure preserves its own
individuality and both the single figures and the groups need their own
background.
